HQ Exclusive: Hanlon At Home
HQ Magazine caught up with Paul Hanlon’s wife, Danielle, who revealed what he’s like away from the pitch.
“Strong-minded, supportive, dependable” these were the words used to describe Paul Hanlon from his doting wife, Danielle.
Behind every strong man is a strong woman, as they say, and in this case it’s very much Danielle who has been by Paul’s side and through thick and thin with him over the last 17 years.
Their meeting wasn’t your Taylor Swift love story, it was something far more relatable, first locking eyes in Cav – a nightclub in the heart of Edinburgh.
From that moment, the rest is history; they are happily married and are parents to two boys – Ollie (6) and Cody (4).
Long before they had their two boys, though, it became very clear to Danielle – who admittedly wasn’t a football person at the time – how Paul’s desire to succeed in the sport would completely transform her life.
“From the very start it was ‘Friday nights are a no-go’,” she laughed reminiscing about their early years.
“I realised quite early on that football comes first and not to plan anything.
“I think he’s got better managing his emotions after games as he’s got older, but when we were younger there were a few times where after a defeat on a Saturday he’d cancel our plans and not want to go out, he’d want to stay in on his own because he was raging.
“He’s kind of always been the same; he’s always been sensible with his head screwed on and put football first.”
That mindset has helped him be dubbed by many as a ‘model professional’.
“It was always just ‘football, football, football’. I remember when he was playing with Scotland’s U21s at the time and even though he was so focused on it, he never had the attitude of ‘I’m a footballer’, he was always just lowkey with it and got his head down.”
And whilst his dedication to his career and the sport has not wavered over the years, he now has the ability to ‘switch off’ when he comes home.
“Since we’ve had the boys, it’s definitely changed things,” she smiled.
“His favourite thing to do is watch the boys play football. Our oldest son Ollie plays for a local team and has a training session on a Friday as well; that’s the highlight of his week.
“He always tries to make the games. Ollie has started fun fours on a Sunday morning and every week we’re up early to watch him play football. He spends as much time with the boys as possible.
“Cody has started to get into football more now and Paul always tries to take him. All three of them love going to the Astro and having a kick about together.
“The boys absolutely love him; they’d pick him over anyone. He’s the calm in our chaos. If anything is getting too much, he can stay calm and reason with us.
“He’s the voice of reason in this house. He calms the ship.”
Read more about Paul’s home life and a fantastic story about Paul’s nana by purchasing HQ Magazine!