Former soccer pro Megan Rapinoe is embracing a new phase of her life.
“So much of my life and the way that I matured and grew up and the way that I learned to think about the world and feel the world was done through this incredible thing that I go to do,” Rapinoe, 41, said at the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday, September 10, while reflecting on her career with the National Women’s Soccer League, which ended in 2023.
The athlete — whose upcoming self-titled documentary was screened at the film festival — continued, “I got to have my family there, I got to do it through my body, I got to do something I loved and that I was really good at.”
Three years after she retired from soccer, Rapinoe weathered another major life change when she and ex-fiancée Sue Bird split after nearly a decade together.
“Now, it’s like, everything comes to an end,” Rapinoe continued on Thursday. “There’s phases in life, and it’s been really interesting and beautiful and transformative to have to be like, ‘OK, I’m gonna let that thing go,’ which I was really ready to let that thing go and see what is next in life.”
The former Seattle Reign FC player concluded, “It’s been fun. I feel like I’m kind of finally getting on the other side of it, and feeling like myself again.”
Rapinoe and Bird, 45, announced their breakup via Instagram in April.
“This hasn’t been an easy decision, but it’s one we’ve made together with so much love, respect, and care for each other,” the post read. “We’ve shared a whole life over the last decade, through big moments and in quiet ones, and that is something we’ll always carry with us.”
Their statement continued, “We are so grateful to this incredible community that has held us up, welcomed us in, and supported us exactly how we are. So many of you have reminded us, again and again, why loving out loud matters.”
The exes also discussed their split on their now-defunct podcast, “A Touch More.”
“We put a lot of thought and care into this,” Rapinoe said in a YouTube video at the time. “It’s a decision that we made together. We’re still going to be there for all of you and for each other. It’s just going to look and feel a little bit different. We truly are evolving into something new to each other, to ourselves and to all of you.”
Speaking to Women’s Health in June, Bird shared insight into what went wrong between her and Rapinoe.
“It’s like anything,” she explained. “It’s like, you grow, you change, you start having conversations about that in your relationship, and it just got to a point where we realized it might not be working anymore.”
Bird added, “There’s no way I am who I am without being with Megan. But now that it’s over, I get to take this kind of, like, newish, grown-ish, healed-ish version of myself and be out in the world again. It’s exciting, it’s scary, it’s all of it.”
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