Sharon Canu: Ashley Cole's Italian Wife, Wedding and Kids

Sharon Canu is the Italian wife of Ashley Cole, the former Arsenal, Chelsea and England left-back. The couple are reported to have met after Cole joined Roma in 2014, they have two children, Jaxon and Grace, and they married near Rome at the end of July 2023. As of November 2026, Cole is a 45-year-old coach between jobs, after a short spell as head coach of Italian club Cesena and five years as an England Under-21 assistant.

Sharon keeps a low profile, but she is not a mystery. She shares parts of her family life on Instagram, she has stood beside Cole through his moves from Rome to Los Angeles and back to England, and in 2022 her victim statement was read in court after a violent raid on the family home. In this guide, OhMyFootball sets out what is documented about Sharon Canu, what is only reported, and what has changed up to November 2026.

Who is Ashley Cole's wife?

Ashley Cole's wife is Sharon Canu, an Italian model, as UK magazines such as Hello! have described her. The couple married at the end of July 2023, at the five-star hotel La Vecchia Posta in Ladispoli, on the coast near Rome. No separation has been reported since.

Sharon shared the news herself. On 31 July 2023 she posted a photo from the day on Instagram with the caption "Mr&Mrs Cole", and on her profile she now goes by Sharon Cole.

The guests included two of Cole's best-known Chelsea teammates. Hello! reported that Frank Lampard and his wife Christine flew in for the ceremony, along with John Terry and the TV personality Sam Faiers. The night before the wedding, the couple hosted a pizza party for their guests, which Sam Faiers shared on Instagram. To read more about the wives of Cole's old Chelsea teammates, see our guides to Christine Lampard and John Terry's wife Toni.

How did Ashley Cole and Sharon Canu meet?

Cole left Chelsea in the summer of 2014 and signed for Roma, and that is where the story begins. According to UK press reports, he met Sharon in Italy during his time at Roma. Hello! magazine wrote in 2016 that Cole had first been linked with her in June 2015.

Their relationship arrived at a turning point in his life. Cole was 33, his marriage to the singer Cheryl had ended a few years earlier, and his playing career was winding down. In May 2019, shortly before he retired, he gave a long interview to The Daily Telegraph in which he said he had been "a young, angry kid" and had since grown up. "It's a different me, I'm more of a family man now," he said. "You won't see me in nightclubs any more, you'll see me at a park pushing my kids."

The engagement and the wedding

Cole proposed in 2022, according to UK press reports, which describe a video Sharon shared on Instagram: he went down on one knee in front of large bouquets of roses, and she captioned it "The easiest 'yes' I've ever said."

The wedding followed in the summer of 2023. Reports agree on the end of July and on Ladispoli, a seaside town north-west of Rome, although some outlets simply wrote "Rome". According to reports, their two children were at the ceremony, and Sharon's Instagram profile keeps the photos in highlights she calls "Wedding" and "Hen do".

Who is Sharon Canu?

Sharon Canu is Italian, and her Instagram biography lists three places that sum up her life with Cole: Rome, London and Los Angeles. Cole was already playing for LA Galaxy when their son was born in Rome in early 2016, and Sharon and the baby later joined him in California. In 2017 the British press published photos of her on a beach day in Los Angeles with their son. Cole came back to England to finish his career at Derby County in 2019, and by 2020 the family was living in Surrey.

She is regularly described in the UK press as a model, but we could not find a documented modelling career: no agency profile, campaigns or magazine shoots under her name. She has never been a public figure in the way Cole's first wife was, and we could not find a press or magazine interview she has given.

Sharon Canu age and birthday

Sharon Canu's date of birth has not been made public, and no reliable outlet has published it, so we cannot give her exact age. Ashley Cole was born on 20 December 1980, so he is 45 in November 2026 and turns 46 in December 2026.

Origin and family

Sharon is from Italy, and Hello! described her in 2016 as coming from a good Italian family. We have found no public comments from her about her parents. She has at least one sister: in 2017 she posted a selfie with her in Los Angeles under the hashtag #sisters. We have not found a reliable source for the sister's name, so we leave it out.

Education and career

Sharon's education has not been documented by any reliable source, and claims online about her schooling in Rome have no source. The same goes for her career: beyond the label "Italian model" used by the British press, nothing about her work has been published. What is clear from her own Instagram is that family has been at the centre of her life since the children were born.

Sharon Canu and Ashley Cole's children

Sharon and Ashley have two children, a son and a daughter. Sharon names both of them on her Instagram profile, in highlights called "Jaxon" and "Grace".

Jaxon Cole, their son, was born in early 2016. Hello! reported the birth on 4 March 2016 and wrote that Cole flew from Los Angeles to Rome for it.
Grace Cole, their daughter, was born in 2018.

The children appear in some of Sharon's family photos, from holidays to the 2023 wedding, but the couple share little about them beyond that.

The 2020 raid on their home

The most frightening episode in the family's life happened in January 2020. A gang of masked men smashed their way into the Coles' home in Surrey while Ashley, Sharon and the children were inside. According to reports of the case in Sky Sports and other outlets, the robbers tied Cole's hands behind his back while he was holding his young daughter and threatened to cut off his fingers. Sharon tried to hide in a wardrobe with their son, and she managed to call 999.

One member of the gang, Kurtis Dilks, was jailed for 30 years at Nottingham Crown Court in July 2022 after his DNA was found on the cable ties used on the couple. In her victim statement, Sharon said the night had a huge impact on her life and that she still did not feel safe at home, despite dogs, panic alarms and fences. Cole said the terror and confusion on his children's faces would never leave him.

Who is Ashley Cole? From Arsenal to the dugout

Ashley Cole was born on 20 December 1980 in Stepney, east London. He came through Arsenal's academy and became one of the best left-backs of his generation, winning 107 caps for England between 2001 and 2014. With seven FA Cups (three with Arsenal, four with Chelsea), he has won the competition more times than any other player.

His playing career:

1999 to 2006: Arsenal, with a loan spell at Crystal Palace in 2000. Premier League titles in 2002 and 2004, the second with the unbeaten Invincibles.
2006 to 2014: Chelsea. Premier League in 2010, the Champions League in 2012 and the Europa League in 2013, alongside Frank Lampard and John Terry.
2014 to 2016: Roma
2016 to 2018: LA Galaxy
2019: Derby County, under Frank Lampard. He announced his retirement in August 2019.

His coaching career:

2019: coach in Chelsea's academy
2021 to 2026: assistant to Lee Carsley with England Under-21s, who won the European Under-21 Championship in 2023 and 2025
2022 to 2023: first-team coach at Everton, under Lampard
2023 to 2024: first-team coach at Birmingham City, on Wayne Rooney's staff (read our guide to his wife, Coleen Rooney)
Autumn 2024: assistant to Carsley during his spell as interim head coach of the England senior team. When Thomas Tuchel took over in January 2025, Cole was not part of his staff.
March to June 2026: head coach of Cesena in Serie B, his first job as a head coach

The video above is Cesena's official recording of the press conference at which Cole was presented as the club's new head coach in March 2026. He signed until 30 June 2026 and took charge of eight league games, with one win, three draws and four defeats. In June 2026, Il Resto del Carlino reported that the club would not keep him on.

In an interview with BBC Sport in April 2026, reported by ESPN, Cole said he had become discouraged by the lack of opportunities in England, where some clubs he spoke to pointed to his lack of experience. At the end of August 2026, Cole announced that he was stepping away from the Under-21s after five years, and when the FA named his replacements in September, Carsley paid tribute to the major part he had played in their two European titles. In late October 2026, GiveMeSport reported that Cole had been interviewed for the manager's job at League One club Bromley, but the club appointed Karl Robinson on 5 November 2026. As of November 2026, no new job for Cole has been announced.

Ashley Cole's first marriage

Before Sharon, Cole was married to the singer Cheryl (then Cheryl Tweedy) from July 2006 until their divorce in September 2010.

Sharon Canu net worth

Sharon's personal net worth is not public, and the figures on celebrity wealth sites have no reliable basis. Ashley Cole earned most of his money during a 20-year playing career at Arsenal, Chelsea, Roma and LA Galaxy, but we have not found a trustworthy estimate of his fortune, so we do not publish one.

Sharon is on Instagram as @sharon_cole_canu, under the name Sharon Cole. As of November 2026 the account has about 18,000 followers and around 155 posts. She posts mostly family moments, holidays and friends, and it is where she marks the big dates: her wedding photo, birthdays and nights out with Ashley, who is on Instagram as @theofficialac3.

In December 2020 she marked Ashley's 40th birthday with a photo of the two of them and a message calling him the man of her dreams and the love of her life.

Quick facts about Sharon Canu

Name: Sharon Canu, known on Instagram as Sharon Cole
Nationality: Italian
Husband: Ashley Cole, former England, Arsenal and Chelsea left-back
Met: in Italy, during Cole's time at Roma (2014 to 2016), according to UK press reports
Engaged: 2022, according to UK press reports
Married: end of July 2023, at La Vecchia Posta in Ladispoli, near Rome
Children: Jaxon (born 2016) and Grace (born 2018)
Age: not publicly known
Lived in: Rome, Los Angeles and England
Instagram: @sharon_cole_canu

Frequently asked questions about Sharon Canu

Is Sharon Canu married to Ashley Cole?

Yes. Sharon Canu and Ashley Cole married at the end of July 2023 in Ladispoli, near Rome, after Cole proposed in 2022. No separation has been reported since.

How old is Sharon Canu?

Her date of birth has not been published by a reliable source, so her exact age is not known. Ashley Cole was born on 20 December 1980.

Where is Sharon Canu from?

Sharon Canu is Italian. Her Instagram biography names Rome first, followed by London and Los Angeles, the cities where she has lived with Cole.

Is Sharon Canu a model?

UK magazines such as Hello! have described her as an Italian model, but no details of a modelling career have been published.

How many children does Ashley Cole have?

Ashley Cole has two children, both with Sharon Canu: a son, Jaxon, born in 2016, and a daughter, Grace, born in 2018.

Who was Ashley Cole's first wife?

Cole's first wife was the singer Cheryl. They married in July 2006 and divorced in September 2010.

What is Ashley Cole doing now?

As of November 2026, Cole has no announced job. He coached Cesena in Serie B from March to June 2026 and left England's Under-21 staff in summer 2026 after five years as Lee Carsley's assistant.