Who is Halina Reijn’s ex-boyfriend Daniel de Ridder? Baby Girl director’s relationship with Dutch footballer

OVER the years Halina Reijn has managed to establish herself as one of the leading directors in Hollywood.

As she gets ready to unleash her new raunchy movie Babygirl starring Nicole Kidman, we take a look at the filmmakers own love life with her ex-Daniel de Ridder.

Born on March 6, 1984, in Amsterdam, Daniel Robin Frederick de Ridder is a Dutch former professional footballer.

The winger enjoyed an incredible career both in his native country and in the UK.

Over the years, he played for teams like Ajax, Celta Vigo, Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Grasshoppers, Heerenveen, RKC Waalwijk and Cambuur.

After retiring, Daniel turned his attention to TV and, since 2016, he has been pundit for football show NOS Eredivisie op Vrijdag.

Meeting Halina

Daniel started a relationship with film director Halina Reijn in 2017.

They went Instagram official in May that year with their first photo together.

Speaking about his romance with Halina in 2019, he told Linda: . "She is very disarming.

"We can have heated discussions, and normal people think: Jesus, will that ever calm down?

"But an hour later we hug each other and start laughing again."

He added: "We complement each other. It sounds like a super cliché, but we are a good team."

The break-up

In April 2023, Halina announced that she had parted ways with Daniel, and that they had split up.

The director took to Instagram to share the break-up news, where she posted a series of photos of the former couple in happier times.

She wrote next to the sweet snaps: "Daniel and I would like to let you know that we ended our romantic relationship a while ago and continued as very dear friends.

"Here is one last trip down memory lane."

Before their split, Halina hinted that their long distance relationship had put a strain on their romance.

"I do feel that I am putting pressure on us, and of course he can't just come and live in New York," she told Flair. "But Daniel understands very well that I want to do this and is also very proud."

Conquering Hollywood

Since her break-up, Halina has turned her attention to her Hollywood career.

She is riding high as a director and her latest offering, Babygirl, sees superstar actress Nicole Kidman take the lead.

The erotic thriller follows a high powered CEO (Nicole) having an affair with an intern (Harris Dickinson).

Speaking about working with Halina, the actress said during a Q&A session in Los Angeles: "Having a female director like Halina at the helm made all the difference.

""She would always assure me, 'Nothing will be in the film that you aren't comfortable with.'

"That kind of reassurance allowed me to really engage with the character in ways I hadn't before."