By Joe O’shea

Copyright irishmirror

Life has been pretty good for Cork’s Jake O’Brien in recent months – on and off the pitch – as he finds success in the Premier League and happiness at home with his partner and their new baby boy.

CorkBeo reports that the towering defender (he’s 6ft 6) has been starring for his club Everton, showing the kind of versatility in the back four that has been a feature of his game since debuting for Cork City as a teenager. And at 24, he has just become a dad for the first time.

O’Brien and his girlfriend Sophie Lawlor are childhood sweethearts, having first met in secondary school in Cork. The Youghal native and his girlfriend have had a much-travelled life since then with spells in London, Brussels, Lyon in France and now on Merseyside as he plays for the Toffees. CorkBeo talked to Sophie when they were living in Lyon, and she told us all about her life on the move and her ambitions to become a major influencer in the area of make-up and beauty.

Now the couple are busy young parents – with Sophie sharing pics of their very first trip out as a family for some Sunday lunch in LIverpool, posting to her followers on Instagram : Loving every minute! Being your mam is the greatest gift of them all!”

And just a few weeks ago, they welcomed their first child into the world, a boy they have named Greyson. The couple shared some gorgeous photographs of the happy occasion, with Greyson arriving just hours before the footballer helped Everton win their match against Brighton.

The couple announced that they were expecting back in February, with an emotional Instagram video showing the moment that they found out that they were expecting, as well as some sentimental moments during Sophie’s first trimester as they told their family members that they were having a baby.

Makeup artist Sophie, too, is making moves in her own successful career. The young Corkwoman is steadily growing her online platform as she shares her life with her football star partner along with her top makeup and beauty tips.

When CorkBeo talked to Sophie while they were living in France last year, she said: I’m proud of Jake beyond words and I never had a doubt in my mind that he would be where he is today and this is only the beginning. Jake is so grounded and works incredibly hard, everyone sees the highlights and the great times through social media but a lot of sacrifices and risks had to be made for Jake to be where he is!”

And the young Cork woman told us how social media had helped her find her own voice and connect with people in Ireland and all over the world.

“I’ve always been into social media and posting life updates and being with Jake has given me amazing opportunities to travel and see the world which I’m so grateful for so I just like to document it and bring my followers along with me.

Showing the amazing things about being with an athlete but also the struggles of living away from family and friends, feeling lonely at times, but overall it’s amazing and I get great feedback from my followers!”

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