Cole Palmer and girlfriend fuel rumours with social media antics after 'difficult' admission

Cole Palmer and his influencer girlfriend Connie Grace have unfollowed each other on social media, prompting rumours that the couple have broken up. Palmer recently won theFIFA Club World Cup with Chelsea, starring in the final as the Blues beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0.

Palmer had a hand in all three goals, scoring two and notching an assist, but Grace was not among the other wives and girlfriends that joined Chelsea on the pitch at MetLife Stadium to celebrate the victory.

And the couple have now sparked speculation of a break-up by no longer following each other on Instagram. Palmer and Grace have known each other since they were 17, but did not go public with their relationship until November last year when they appeared together at the GQ Men of the Year Awards.

Grace has 38,000 followers on Instagram and runs her own nail salon business in Manchester. Opening up about their relationship in Amazon Prime documentary 'England's Lions: A New Generation', Grace said: "I think we knew me through mutual friends so I think he probably had his eye on me.

"Oh, he's warm and cuddly. Well, with me, hopefully with no one else. When you know how much someone wants something and you know that's someone's dream, you just feel so proud."

READ MORE: Cole Palmer sends four-word message to Noni Madueke after completing Arsenal transfer

READ MORE: Chelsea fans in meltdown as club announce star's free transfer to Liverpool

Grace continued: "Cole now is still the same Cole that I met when I was 17. Obviously, he's changed, he's grown up, and his life now is completely different, but he's still the same boy, he's still laid-back Cole.

"Cole will adapt to whatever situation he's in. He's not bothered that he's that far from home because all he wants to do is play football and if it means leaving home and being in a place which is completely different to where he's from, he'll do it.

"He's not bothered about the whole fame side of it and he's not bothered what people think of him.

"He is only just bothered about scoring goals and doing well for his team, doing well for his country, and you've got to love him for that."

However, rumours of their breakup comes after Palmer admitted he has been having a "difficult time" recently. After scoring against Palmeiras in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup, Palmer ran over to the Chelsea bench to celebrate with teammate Tosin Adabioyo.

And when asked about the celebration, Palmer explained: "That's my boy. Obviously, I've had a difficult time these past whatever months on and off the pitch, but he's always been there for me and he's helped me a lot.

"So, yeah, I just thought I'd go over to him."

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.