Soccer star Hulk ties the knot with ex-wife's niece three months after ending 12-year marriage
Former Brazilian soccer star Hulk has reportedly married his ex-wife's niece just three months after his 12-year marriage ended.
Hulk confirmed the relationship in December. The 33-year-old ended his 12-year long marriage with Iran Angelo de Souza, 33, in July last year. Reports of his relationship with Iran's niece, Camila Angelo, 31, surfaced in December last year.
According to reports, the couple had been dating since last October. Hulk took to his social media handle to confirm the news and the new couple has shared several pictures that show them wearing what appears to be wedding rings.
Infobae, an Argentine newspaper, said their "sudden marriage" was also due to the fact that Camila was in need of "a visa to stay in the country (China)". Both Hulk and Camila are living together in China given the forward plays for the Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG FC, Mirror reports.
It was in December last year when Hulk broke the news about his new relationship to his family, including the three children he has with Iran — Ian, 10; Thiago, 8, and Alice, 6. At the time, a press secretary released a statement Hulk's behalf saying, "Hulk called the parents and the brother of Camila and told them the truth."
"It was Hulk himself who made the information public because he had nothing to hide. His position is transparency and he wants to avoid lies and malicious comments. Remember the Brazilian's marriage ended in July and Camila was also separated for many months," the statement continued.
Hulk's relationship status reads "married" on his social media but the footballer has still not made any official statement confirming the wedding. It was reported that Camila had always been Iran's favorite niece.
MEA WorldWide had previously reported that Camilla posted a lengthy message to her aunt Iran, explaining her new relationship with Hulk. "I never imagined it could happen, but we don't rule our heart, no one is immune or exempt from it," she had written.
"I'm sorry for everything. If I could choose, we wouldn't be going through this, but life doesn't spin the way we imagine it to. He showed me that there was no chance of a possible return, so we allowed ourselves to live," she added.
In conversation with UOL columnist Leo Dias, Iran had this to say about her ex-husband's new relationship: "It is deeply regretted that Mr Hulk, not content with ending a marriage of more than 12 years, he then did not respect the pain of the one who always devoted love, affection, respect and consideration to him — as well as his children, whose supreme interests should be preserved by their father."
Both Hulk and Camilla had faced backlash online, leading to the latter deleting her social media accounts.
Hulk has won around 47 caps for Brazil and had also represented his country at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2014 World Cup. In the past, he has also been linked with a move to clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United but the transfer never materialized.