When did Ian Garry get married? Everything we know about his relationship with wife Layla Anna-Lee

Ian Garry and his wife, Layla Anna-Lee, found themselves in the eye of the storm. The controversy flared up when Garry was scheduled to fight Vicente Luque in late 2023.

The Garry-Luque matchup was expected to transpire at the highly-anticipated UFC 296 event on Dec. 16, 2023. But leading up to Garry's pivotal clash, certain sections of the MMA community drew attention to a few talking points concerning his personal life.

Garry married his partner, British sports presenter and football (soccer) personality Layla Anna-Lee, in February 2022. The couple welcomed their first child, a son, in October 2022. While the couple is known to be incredibly vocal about their strong relationship, Anna-Lee was lambasted by some members of the MMA community at the time.

The couple's detractors have cited a book that Anna-Lee published a few years back. The book, titled 'How to be a Wag', reportedly teaches females how to secure and maintain relationships with famous sportspersons. On that note, Anna-Lee has been accused of teaching young women to manipulate sportspersons into relationships.

A number of MMA fans and a few athletes, such as UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, have alleged that Anna-Lee ensnared Garry into a relationship. They've also jabbed at the couple's age disparity, referencing that Garry is 26, whereas Anna-Lee is 40.

Strickland and several others also alluded to the rumors that Anna-Lee's ex-husband, nutritionist Richard Cullen, lives with the couple.

Both Ian Garry and Layla Anna-Lee subsequently fired back at their critics by clarifying that her book was a satire. Furthermore, as indicated by screenshots of private DMs tweeted by Sean Strickland, Garry has threatened to take legal action against him if he continues making derogatory statements about his wife.

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Ian Garry marriage: Layla Anna-Lee defends 'How to be a Wag,' jibes at American audience

Ian Garry's wife's book, 'How to be a Wag,' became a hot-button topic heading into UFC 296. The wave of relentless criticism notwithstanding, Layla Anna-Lee seemingly remained steadfast in defending her relationship with Garry. Taking to her Instagram account, Anna-Lee defended her book by asserting it was simply "an eleven-page audio satire content written in 2010."

Furthermore, Garry's wife implied that most of the American audience appears to have misinterpreted her book, which was written as a satirical work around the time of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. She also emphasized that her ex-husband doesn't live with them and has never lived with them.

Moreover, Anna-Lee insinuated that she's been targeted owing to ageism, akin to how many other women are disparaged simply for having aged. She noted:

"Looking at the hate and the majority of the clips and the comments that I'm getting... the biggest thing I've done wrong is age. I've got older and I have birthdays every year, and that's f**king disgusting coming from a woman. Getting older is not acceptable."

The controversy made Garry's clash with Vicente Luque one of the most anticipated fights on the UFC 296 card. However, Garry could not use the opportunity to prove his mettle as he was forced to pull out due to health concerns.