'We're both hurting' - Alvaro Morata lifts lid on split with wife Alice Campello as former Chelsea & Real Madrid star hits back at cheating rumours

Morata and Campello appear to be officially over. The pair announced their separation initially in August of 2024, after Spain had won the European Championships. They got back together in January of last year, with Campello claiming their initial split was "the worst mistake we've ever made in our lives". 

However, Spanish magazine Hola has now reported that this second chapter has failed to last. According to the publication, the glamourous couple have been living separately for several weeks. Morata has packed his bags and left the family residence he shared with Campello and their four young children - twins Alessandro and Leonardo, Edoardo and Bella.

Campello has, though, insisted that there has been no infidelity, with rumours having swirled over the nature of Morata's relationship with a sports management expert named Elena Sirigu. 

She said: "Elena is a family friend whom I've known for years, and I can say with absolute certainty that she is not that kind of person and has never done anything she's been accused of," Campello wrote in a passionate post. She revealed that Sirigu had called her in tears over the "family wrecker" label, prompting Campello to speak out publicly to protect her friend's reputation.

"I'm defending Elena because she's innocent and because, as a woman, I know very well how much certain accusations can hurt," she added. "Our relationship has always been clear: she even dedicated her undergraduate thesis to Masqmai [Campello's beauty brand], and she's a serious person with values and a respectable family." 

Morata admits that the breakdown of the relationship has been difficult for both of them.

"We are suffering because we are two people who love each other, but we don't understand each other," he told Alexia Rivas.

"Alice isn't having a worse time than me because many people say she's the one who's hurting. I want to make it clear that we're both hurting, it's not that she's bitter, we're both hurting."

He also echoed the words of his ex, insisting he has not been with Sirigu.

He added: "No special friend or anything like that, I'm not interested in that right now. The day I have a special friend, I'll walk around with her normally and you'll see.

"People who claim there are third parties involved in a separation like this, especially with children involved, simply have no heart."

Morata's loan spell at Como has not exactly worked out as he would have hoped. The striker has failed to score a Serie A goal for the club, with his only goal coming in the Italian Cup against Fiorentina. He has spoken passionately about his mental health previously, opening up on his struggles in front of goal.

"I had many horrible, self-destructive thoughts," he confessed. "Is it worth playing for Spain if everywhere I go with my family, there are unpleasant incidents, with people insulting you and mocking you? It's not worth it."

He spoke of the pain of being whistled by his own fans while wearing the national jersey and the dilemma of wanting to retire versus not wanting to let the "haters" win. "If I retire from international football, they will win," he noted defiantly at the time. As he navigates this latest personal setback with the end of his marriage, that resilience will once again be tested as he looks to rebuild his life both on and off the pitch in Milan.

Como play Napoli away from home in the Coppa Italia quarter-final on Tuesday. Cesc Fabregas' side will then face Fiorentina, in what could be a huge opportunity for Morata to score his first league goal.