Melissa Jiménez: Marc Bartra's Ex-Wife, Kids and Alonso

Melissa Jiménez is a Spanish sports journalist who reports on Formula One for DAZN, and she is the ex-wife of Real Betis defender Marc Bartra. The couple married in June 2017 and announced their separation in January 2022; they have three children, Gala, Abril and Max.

Since 2023, Melissa has been in a relationship with two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso, and in March 2026 the couple had a son, Leonard. Marc Bartra, 35, is still playing for Real Betis as of November 2026. In this guide, OhMyFootball sets out their story with dates and sources: how they met, the wedding, the children, why they split and what each of them has done since.

Who is Marc Bartra's ex-wife?

Marc Bartra's ex-wife is Melissa Jiménez, a journalist best known in Spain for her years as a MotoGP paddock reporter on Telecinco and, since 2022, for her Formula One work on DAZN. She and Bartra were together for about seven years, from 2014 until the autumn of 2021, and were married for four and a half of them.

Their life together followed his career: from Barcelona to Dortmund in 2016, then to Seville when he joined Real Betis in January 2018. All three of their children were born while they were together, and since the split the two have been described in the Spanish press as keeping a cordial relationship for the sake of the children.

How Melissa Jiménez and Marc Bartra met

According to the Spanish magazine Diez Minutos, Melissa and Marc met in 2013 through mutual friends, the motorcycle racers Aleix and Pol Espargaró. At the time she was working in the MotoGP paddock and he was a young centre-back in Barcelona's first-team squad.

They started dating in the spring of 2014, when Bartra was still a Barcelona player, and made the relationship public on social media that same year. A little over a year later, in August 2015, their first daughter was born.

Engagement and the 2017 wedding

The couple announced their engagement on 10 October 2016, a few months after Bartra had moved to Borussia Dortmund. Melissa had followed him to Germany that summer.

They married on Sunday 18 June 2017 at the Bell Recó estate in Argentona, about half an hour from Barcelona. ¡Hola! reported that the guests included former Barcelona teammates Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernández, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Thiago Alcántara, Dortmund teammates Julian Weigl, Gonzalo Castro, Erik Durm and Roman Bürki, and the Espargaró brothers. The night before, the couple held a pre-wedding party at the W Hotel in Barcelona.

The wedding came only two months after the most frightening moment of Bartra's life. On 11 April 2017, three explosions hit the Dortmund team bus on its way to a Champions League quarter-final against Monaco. Bartra was the only player injured: he broke a bone in his wrist and had surgery the next day. ¡Hola! reported that Melissa was at his side after the attack. He returned to the pitch on 20 May 2017, for the last Bundesliga game of the season.

In this Borussia Dortmund video, Bartra looks back at that comeback game, his "match of my life":

Why did Melissa Jiménez and Marc Bartra separate?

The news broke in early January 2022. Vanitatis reported it first and ¡Hola! confirmed it: Melissa Jiménez and Marc Bartra had decided to end their marriage. According to ¡Hola!, the break-up had taken place in early November 2021, and from then on they lived in separate houses in Seville.

On 10 January 2022, they signed their separation agreement at a notary's office in Seville. ¡Hola! reported, citing sources close to the family, that no third party was involved and that the split came from wear and tear in the relationship. We could not find a public explanation of the reasons from either Melissa or Marc in their own words.

At the time, ¡Hola! also reported that Melissa would have liked to return to Barcelona, where her family lives, but planned to stay in Seville while Marc was under contract with Betis, so that the children could grow up near both parents. Speaking on the TV show Déjate querer in June 2022, Bartra said he had no regrets about his three children and described them as the reason for his life and the reason he keeps going.

Melissa Jiménez and Marc Bartra's children

Melissa Jiménez and Marc Bartra have three children together: two daughters and a son.

• Gala Bartra Jiménez, born on 18 August 2015, when Bartra was still at Barcelona. She is 11.
• Abril Bartra Jiménez, born in late April 2018 in Seville, three months after the move to Betis. She is 8.
• Max Bartra Jiménez, born in October 2019 in Seville; Bartra announced the birth on social media on 26 October 2019. He is 7.

Many websites, including an older version of this article, wrongly list Max as born in 2020 or give the children in the wrong order. Abril is the middle child and Max is the youngest of the three.

In December 2025, ¡Hola! reported that Melissa was living in Monaco and that the older children had also settled there, and that Bartra remains closely involved in their upbringing. In March 2026 the three became older siblings to Leonard, Melissa's son with Fernando Alonso.

Who is Melissa Jiménez?

Melissa María Jiménez Dionisio was born on 26 June 1987 in Liège, Belgium, so she is 39 years old. She grew up in Barcelona and has Spanish nationality. Her father worked in motorcycle racing as a mechanic, which is why she was born in Belgium, and her mother is Italian, according to The Objective and Libertad Digital. She is about three and a half years older than Marc Bartra, who was born on 15 January 1991.

Melissa built her own career as one of the best-known faces of motorsport journalism in Spain, and she was already on national television, in the MotoGP paddock, before she started dating Bartra.

Melissa Jiménez education and early career

Melissa studied communication in Barcelona. Her first steps in journalism were an internship at the radio station Onda Rambla, followed by about two years in radio and on the local channel 25TV.

She then moved to Madrid to work for MARCA TV, where she presented programmes including Tiramillas and Marca Motor. Next came Italy: Sky Sport Italia invited her to work on its motorcycle racing coverage, and she also worked as head of press for the Forward Racing team in Moto2.

Melissa Jiménez career: from MotoGP to Formula One

In 2013 Melissa joined Mediaset España's sports newsroom, replacing Lara Álvarez as the MotoGP paddock reporter on Telecinco, alongside presenter Nico Abad. She covered the world championship from 2013 to 2015, and in March 2016 Mediaset announced she would not continue on the MotoGP coverage. In 2016 she appeared as a guest on Antena 3's impersonation show Tu cara me suena.

In 2022, the year of her separation, she returned to the circuits as a Formula One reporter for DAZN in Spain. She stepped back from reporting late in 2025, during her pregnancy, and missed the last races of the season, including the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. She was back in the paddock for the Monaco Grand Prix in June 2026, which she marked with this Instagram post:

In this 2025 conversation for the Spanish sports outlet Relevo (in Spanish), Melissa and fellow journalist Izaskun Ruiz share stories from the F1 and MotoGP paddocks: the adrenaline of race weekends, the drivers' personalities and how women are treated in motorsport.

Melissa Jiménez and Fernando Alonso

After her divorce, Melissa found a new partner in the Formula One paddock. According to ¡Hola!, her relationship with Fernando Alonso began in 2023, and the two were first photographed together in Monaco. For a long time they kept it private.

On 10 December 2025, ¡Hola! reported that they were expecting their first child together, due in March. On 28 December 2025, Alonso posted their first photo together on social media. ¡Hola! reported the birth of their son on 25 March 2026, as Alonso delayed his arrival at the Japanese Grand Prix for family reasons.

After a TV programme claimed the baby had been named Fernando, Alonso replied on social media that they still call him Leonard, and Melissa shared the Formula One paddock pass made for the baby, which reads Leonard Alonso Jiménez. Leonard is Alonso's first child and Melissa's fourth. As of November 2026, we have found no report that Melissa and Fernando have married. In July 2026, ¡Hola! published photos of the family on a boat in Monaco, and Melissa shared pictures of Leonard in the Aston Martin garage at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Melissa Jiménez's previous relationships

Before Bartra, Melissa was in a relationship with Dani Martín, the former singer of El Canto del Loco, from 2013 to early 2014, as ABC reported at the time. Since 2023, her partner has been Fernando Alonso.

Marc Bartra's love life after the divorce

In June 2022, Bartra said on Déjate querer that he was not with anyone. In December 2022, ¡Hola! published images confirming his relationship with Spanish model and influencer Jessica Goicoechea. In July 2024, Spanish media reported that they had split, and ¡Hola! later wrote that the relationship ended in the summer of 2024. We could not find a public statement from either of them about the break-up, and we could not find a new partner of Bartra confirmed by reputable media since.

Who is Marc Bartra?

Marc Bartra Aregall was born on 15 January 1991 in Sant Jaume dels Domenys, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia. He joined Barcelona's academy, La Masia, at the age of 11, and has a twin brother, Èric, who also came through the academy. He is a centre-back and is 1.84 m tall.

His career, year by year:

• February 2010: first-team debut for Barcelona. With Barcelona he won five La Liga titles, three Copas del Rey and two Champions Leagues.
• June 2016: joins Borussia Dortmund for a reported €8 million, playing alongside Marco Reus. Wins the DFB-Pokal in 2017.
• January 2018: signs for Real Betis and moves to Seville.
• April 2022: wins the Copa del Rey with Betis, beating Valencia on penalties in the final.
• August 2022: moves to Trabzonspor in Turkey for €1.25 million; the club and player part ways by mutual agreement in July 2023.
• July 2023: returns to Real Betis. In October 2023 he is diagnosed with Haglund's syndrome in his right Achilles tendon and is out until August 2024.
• April 2025: extends his Betis contract until June 2027.
• May 2025: Betis reach the Conference League final, lost 4-1 to Chelsea.
• 8 September 2026: scores twice in a 3-2 win at Lille in the Champions League league phase, alongside teammates such as Isco.

For Spain, Bartra has 14 senior caps and one goal, scored against Wales in October 2018. He won the European Under-21 Championship in 2013 and was in Spain's squad for Euro 2016, without playing.

Melissa Jiménez and Marc Bartra net worth

Neither Melissa Jiménez nor Marc Bartra has published their earnings, and the net worth figures found online have no reliable basis, so we do not repeat them. The salary-tracking site Capology estimates Bartra's gross fixed salary at Betis for 2026-27 at about €2.5 million a year, before bonuses; this is an estimate, not an official figure.

Melissa Jiménez height

We could not find Melissa Jiménez's height in a reliable source. The figure of 1.68 m that circulates on celebrity websites does not cite any source, so we cannot confirm it. Marc Bartra is listed at 1.84 m.

Melissa Jiménez Instagram

Melissa Jiménez is on Instagram as @melissajimenezgp, a verified account with about 637,000 followers in November 2026. Her bio describes her as a sports journalist covering F1 for DAZN Spain. She shares her work in the paddock, travel and family moments.

Quick facts about Melissa Jiménez

• Full name: Melissa María Jiménez Dionisio
• Born: 26 June 1987 in Liège, Belgium (39 years old in November 2026)
• Grew up in: Barcelona
• Job: sports journalist, Formula One reporter for DAZN Spain since 2022; MotoGP reporter for Telecinco from 2013 to 2015
• Ex-husband: Marc Bartra (married June 2017, separated January 2022)
• Partner: Fernando Alonso, since 2023
• Children: Gala (2015), Abril (2018) and Max (2019) with Bartra; Leonard (2026) with Alonso
• Lives in: Monaco, according to ¡Hola!
• Instagram: @melissajimenezgp

Frequently asked questions about Melissa Jiménez

Who is Melissa Jiménez?

Melissa Jiménez is a Spanish sports journalist, born in Belgium in 1987, who reports on Formula One for DAZN. She is Marc Bartra's ex-wife and Fernando Alonso's partner.

Is Marc Bartra still married to Melissa Jiménez?

No. Marc Bartra and Melissa Jiménez announced their separation in January 2022, after marrying in June 2017. She is his ex-wife.

How old is Melissa Jiménez?

Melissa Jiménez was born on 26 June 1987, so she is 39 years old as of November 2026.

How many children does Melissa Jiménez have?

Melissa Jiménez has four children: Gala, Abril and Max with Marc Bartra, and Leonard, born in March 2026, with Fernando Alonso.

Who is Melissa Jiménez dating now?

Melissa Jiménez is in a relationship with Fernando Alonso. According to ¡Hola!, they have been together since 2023, and their son Leonard was born in March 2026.

Where is Melissa Jiménez from?

Melissa Jiménez was born in Liège, Belgium, and grew up in Barcelona. She is Spanish.