Riyad Mahrez’s wife Taylor Ward reveals how she dealt with heartbreaking loss ahead of her lavish wedding to the former Man City star

Taylor Ward has opened up on the heartbreaking experience of losing her grandfather shortly before her wedding to former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez. 

The social media influencer and reality television star married Mahrez in Lake Como last year, with the experience captured by cameras for the second season of Amazon Prime’s Married To The Game. 

Ward starred in the first season of the programme, which follows the partners and families of Premier League stars, with the show following her and Mahrez’s bombshell move to Saudi Arabia. 

Mahrez booked the £30million move in the summer of 2023, leaving Manchester on the heels of securing the club’s historic treble for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli. 

As well as sharing insight into the couple’s new life in Saudi, cameras tracked the build-up to Mahrez and Ward’s third wedding ceremony in Italy. 

But tragedy struck in the build-up to the big day, with Ward’s paternal grandfather passing in what she describes as a ‘huge loss’.   

The social media star married former Manchester City player Riyad Mahrez in Lake Como

Also captured by the Married To The Game cameras were Ward’s hen party celebrations in Marbella last year

‘I think opening up (on camera following her grandfather’s death) was really hard,’ Ward said at a screening of the first episode. ‘I think that’s why you see me cry a lot on the show, because naturally, I’m such an emotional person. 

‘My emotions just flow through the minute anyone mentions it, I get a tear in my eye. 

‘And I just think that is why the show is so real, though, and they captured all those moments. That was what was happening at the time, and I was just living through that. 

‘I think it naturally is hard when you’re constantly speaking about those topics. 

‘But personally, at the time, I don’t know there was even more stressful than what you see on the show, because my grandfather is a huge part of our lives, obviously, and a huge loss. So yeah, just really sad, really.’

Ward added that she still found discussing his death challenging ‘without crying’, but spoke to the importance of being her true self while filming the reality series. 

‘It was really sad,’ she added. ‘And I think you do see that on the show. 

‘But the wedding all came together, and it was amazing. It’s just one of those things, and you have to navigate through it as a family, and just be there for each other.’ 

Ward also shared that she has adjusted to life in Saudi Arabia after moving with her husband after his transfer to Al-Ahli

Ward’s appearance in the first season saw the couple struggle to come to terms with the immediacy of Mahrez’s move to Saudi, with Ward captured crying as she explained that she felt like she had no ‘choice’ over the decision to uproot her life. 

But over a year later, Ward revealed that she is now happily ensconced in her new home, in part due to the increased closeness she feels to Mahrez and their family. 

‘I’ve definitely settled there now, and I think it definitely feels more like home than it did originally,’ Ward continued. 

‘I just love the chill time when we’re there. We just do really normal things. We spend a lot of time together as a family, and it’s just a really nice, peaceful place to live. 

‘You’ve got the beach and loads of lovely Pilates studios, matcha cafes, it’s gorgeous. And you get time to do a lot of things that you wouldn’t necessarily get time to do if I was here and because you’re so busy seeing your friends and stuff. 

‘So it’s just nice to do really normal things.’ 

Married To The Game Season Two will premiere on Amazon Prime on Tuesday, April 8.