Alex Corbisiero Partner Abby Gustaitis Was A Rugby Player And An Olympian

Alex Corbisiero partner Abby Gustaitis is a rugby player like him and had debuted in the sport in 2016. 

Gustaitis, age 31, is an American rugby player who served as one of the team captains at the Tokyo Olympic games. Unlike other rugby athletes who were captivated by the sport at a young age, things were different for Abby.

The graduate of the University of Maryland only began her playing career as a freshman in college. Though she was interested in basketball and hockey in high school at North Harford, Abby thought her playing days were over after joining college.

But things took a u-turn as rugby intrigued her enough to make her join the rugby team at Maryland. The sport she joined in college has now seen her take to the heights of fame as a rugby player.

As she progressed her rugby career at Maryland, she learned about various versions of the sport, including Sevens, which is different from traditional rugby. But a story of an athlete is not complete without some bumps in the road.

At one point in her career, Gustaitis was excluded from the US team spot and had to travel to Australia to play in the Sevens team. She was later brought back to the national team and has since won medals for USA Women’s Sevens Team in three competitions. 

After having not made the US team for the 2016 Rio Olympics, Abby looked to make her nation proud in Tokyo, but unfortunately, the team crashed out early in the competition.

Gustaitis was dropped from the team earlier this year in January by New Women’s Eagles coach Emilie Bydwell which led to making a public statement that though she is disheartened, she is still thankful to the sport for everything it had given to her.

Earlier this month, Corbisiero’s fiance headed to Dubai to commentate on the HSBC games as she shared an emotional post before traveling to Dubai. She wrote that though she is now in a different role, she still loves the sport as much as she did when she was a player. 

But even before her hiatus as a rugby player, Abby had done a fair share of commentary duties at NBC Sports alongside her fiance, Alex Corbisiero. 

Alex Corbisiero and Abby Gustaitis began dating in 2018 a few years after his split from Laura Woods. 

Corbisiero, the former rugby player of England and current NBC Sports commentator, might have to thank his bosses at NBC for giving him a chance at commentary duties, which led him to meet his partner.

Alex And Abby Started Dating In 2018

Alex and Abby met for the first time in the 2018 rugby world cup.

On July 20, 2018, the rugby world cup sevens began in San Francisco, and Alex was one of the commentators for NBC Sports. While presenting the semi-finals game for the Women’s Rugby Sevens team, the commentator was impressed by Abby and her rugby skills.

After the tournament ended, Alex formally introduced himself to Abby, and from there, the two began their romantic relationship. The English player confessed his love for the American player for the first time on his Instagram handle on October 23, 2018.

Alex cheered Abby as the US Women finished second in the 2018 USA Women’s Sevens tournament. The pair spent New Year’s together in La Jolla, California, with the two quickly falling for each other.

Engagement And Cancer Diagnosis

Corbisiero and Gustaitis celebrated their engagement one year after dating in October 2019.

In 2019, it was Abby’s turn to go Instagram official with her partner as she uploaded a picture of him coming to see her team take bronze at the HSBC Canada Women’s Seven. 

By autumn, the couple was sure enough that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with each other as Alex went down on one knee as he proposed to the rugby player.

On October 10, 2019, Alex proposed to Abby with their family in presence at Harbor Island, San Diego. But a month after the engagement, the former rugby player felt something was wrong with his body.

And after seeking medical attention, Alex discovered that he was suffering from testicular cancer. Within a few weeks, he traveled to the UK to treat the disease. Though it was said to him at the time that the disease had not spread, in 2020, he found out that cancer had spread to his lymph nodes.

Recovery Battle With Abby By His Side

After discovering cancer had returned in 2020, Alex underwent nine weeks of chemotherapy and started raising awareness for the disease. In 2021 he was back to full fitness and restarted his commentary duties. 

Abby has been by his side throughout the whole ordeal, and one day they might start a family of their own. The couple promoted and launched a T-shirt named No Egos Just Amigos, with the profit going to “The Team Corbs Testicular Cancer Research Grant.”

She posted an emotional post in 2020 saying she is happy to stand by his side and support him in every aspect. Last month Alex shared a post saying he has been cancer free for two years. 

Alex Corbisiero and Laura Woods split after eight years of a loving relationship.

Though it is hard to say for sure when they broke up, they were still flirting on Twitter in 2015.

The 35-year-old English sports presenter Laura Woods is currently the host of Talk sports and has worked alongside the likes of Gary Neville and Alan Shearer. 

Laura was one of the first public romances of Alex, having met him while he was still playing in the academy. In an interview with Telegraph, Luara said she was proud of how far Alex had made it in his career and was happy to be a part of his journey.

The narrative didn’t change even after their break up, as it was a mutual decision. Speaking to The Sun in 2020, Laura said she decided to split from Alex and even said she had found a new perspective in life and is focused on making a name for herself in a male-dominated field.

Woods looks set to grow her resume as a sports analyst and has yet to confirm if she has been in any romantic relationship after her split from Alex.