Lucy Pinder goes public with Premier League manager as ‘besotted’ couple share loved-up snap

FORMER glamour model Lucy Pinder has made her relationship with Southampton boss Russell Martin public.

The Sun exclusively revealed yesterday that the couple are "smitten" together.

Martin, 38, has grown close to Lucy in recent months and the "besotted" pair were recently turning heads at a Sky Sports function.

The Premier League manager received an honorary degree from the University of Brighton yesterday for his charity work after setting up the Russell Martin Foundation to help young people's lives in Sussex.

Lucy, 40, was with him as he was presented with his award and the duo posed for a snap on the seafront.

The Saints supporting beauty posted the picture on her Instagram story to make their relationship public.

Martin was dressed in a stylish grey suit and sunglasses, while Lucy stunned in a figure-hugging black dress.

The manager, who led Southampton to promotion back to the Prem last season, split with wife and mother to his three kids Jasmine last year.

A source told The Sun: “There was no crossover. Russ' marriage ended and he was glum. It was all about looking after the kids and making sure they were OK.

“But amid the grief, as he threw himself into work, Russ grew intimate with Lucy.

“She is a regular face at Southampton functions and is always around the club as a die-hard fan.

“Over the weeks and months their friendship grew into something more.

“They’re a match made in heaven — or at least in Southampton. They’re mad for each other.”

Lucy, now a TV personality, shot to fame as a glamour model in the early 2000s.

She went on to become a regular in now-defunct lads’ magazines Nuts, FHM and Loaded and she has been in several movies — debuting in 2012 in Strippers vs Werewolves.

Lucy also featured on Celebrity Big Brother.