Thierry Henry’s ex-wife once dated Medi Abalimba, who had multiple fake personalities, such as former Chelsea star Gael Kakuta. He managed to con his way to a lavish lifestyle and money.
Very little is known about the personal life of Abalimba. However, it’s confirmed that he was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the Daily Star, he played football for the National League side Oldham Athletic but never managed to break into the higher division. However, he impersonated former Chelsea forward Gael Kakuta and spent time in lavish hotels and helicopters.
He pretended to be a millionaire when he was only earning £300 a week. Eventually, after admitting 12 charges of fraud, he was jailed for four years. After getting out of prison, he dated former Love Island star Georgia Steel in 2019, while he was presenting himself as ‘Miguel Johnson’.
Abalimba was then sentenced to 23 months in prison after he defrauded Steel. Afterwards, he was also romantically involved with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry’s ex-wife, Claire Merry, for a while when he was in jail. He told Merry that he was a US Navy SEAL, who was planted in Kuwait.
The couple started spending time together in luxurious hotels, but Merry soon realized that she had also become a victim of Medi Abalimba’s fraud. In 2021, he was again sentenced to prison. He was released earlier this year but since then, no information has been available about him.
How long were Thierry Henry and Claire Merry married?
Thierry Henry and Claire Merry got married in 2003. However, after five years of being together, the couple got divorced in 2008. They also have a daughter, named Téa.
Before the separation, Henry and Merry were a famous couple as they also appeared in the advertisement for Renault Clio. Merry, who is a British model, received £8 million after her divorce from the former Arsenal forward.
She claimed that Henry was romantically involved with other women when they were still married. Merry also revealed that she caught the former Barcelona forward sending romantic messages to another woman.
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Edited by Akshay Saraswat