Breaking news: NFL legend Rob Gronkowski is overjoyed as he welcomes his first babies, a set of twins, with wife Camille Kostek…see more

The NFL player and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model first crossed paths when he was a tight end and she was a cheerleader for the New England Patriots.

Despite sharing a stadium during Patriots games, however, the pair didn’t actually meet until they were off the field at a charity event in 2013.

According to the model, Gronkowski’s teammate had given her his number. “I was a rookie. I was like, ‘Oh no, no, no, I can’t take this.

I can’t take his number.’ And then [his teammate] was like, ‘Just take it,’ and I was like, ‘Okay,’ and I put it in my pocket.

And I never spoke about it again.” She later FaceTimed the tight end, and the two quickly struck up a romance, though it would be a few years before the couple took their relationship public.

The pair made their red carpet debut in 2016 and have been supporting each other on and off the field ever since.