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Meghan Markle's response to the ESPN journalist who slid into her DMs was ‘ice cold’

Ryan Russillo shared his failed attempt to woo Meghan Markle during a 2014 celebrity flag football game.

Published on: Dec 13, 2024, 03:08:02 IST
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Meghan Markle was another man’s muse before he met Prince Harry—and his approach backfired. TV presenter Ryan Russillo, who worked for ESPN sometime in 2016, discussed his failed attempt to seduce Meghan on The Bill Simmons Podcast and said that he failed.

Meghan Markle arrives at the Paley Honors Fall Gala on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Meghan Markle arrives at the Paley Honors Fall Gala on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Russillo recalled meeting Meghan in 2014 during a celebrity flag football game held over Super Bowl weekend. At the time, Meghan was gaining fame as the star of the legal drama Suits.

While most eyes were on the Sports Illustrated swimsuit models also participating, Russillo found himself intrigued by Meghan.

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“We played in a celebrity flag football game together and it was all of the [Sports Illustrated] swimsuit models. So, nobody was really paying any attention to Markle,” Russillo said bluntly, as reported by US Weekly.

“I was like, 'That's my lane.'”

TV presenter decided to take a chance by sliding into Meghan’s DMs

“I shot her a DM,” he revealed. “It was a very soft sell... It was, 'Hey, I know the new season of Suits is coming out if you ever want to come on the show to promote it.' It was really professional.”

“It was like a gauging of interest,” he admitted. “Like, if I got an emoji back, who knows?”

Unfortunately for Russillo, Meghan’s response was polite but left no room for misinterpretation: “Oh, I don't know anything about sports, but thanks for the offer.” Russillo described her reaction as “ice cold.”

ALSO READ| Meghan Markle once rejected an ESPN host who slid into her DMs, believing she was ‘obtainable'

Years later, Meghan met Prince Harry and started a royal love story. In a 2022 interview with The Cut, she revealed that she and Harry are raising their son Archie with the motto “manners make the man.”

  • Tuhin Das Mahapatra
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    Tuhin Das Mahapatra

    Tuhin Das Mahapatra is a key member of the US Team at Hindustan Times, crafting compelling narratives on politics, US visa, Hollywood, esports, anime, and beyond. This erudite literature student, if not penning down a narrative with his modest yet trusty pen, is deeply contemplating 'what the purpose of journalism is?Read More

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