Inside Jake Paul and Jutta Leerdam’s romance, from first meeting on Instagram to helping him deal with Tommy Fury loss
THERE was a time when Jake Paul would jump from relationship to relationship with pretty models or fellow influencers.
But now, the YouTuber-turned-boxer, 27, is smitten with beautiful speedskater Jutta Leerdam.
Last month, the pair celebrated a year since they went public with their romance.
The Dutch beauty, 25, a silver medallist at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, has kept the Problem Child grounded and focused.
The pair got together after they began flirting on Instagram.
They went public with their romance in April 2023 , with Paul sharing a photo of them together.
“I’m Dutch now”, Paul captioned the snap which featured him holding hands with Leerdam in a carousel of pictures.
When Paul suffered the first loss of his career to Tommy Fury, Leerdam provided the perfect support for his battered ego.
She will likely be cheering his corner when he comes up against Mike Tyson on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.
First impressions
Both Paul and Leerdam were involved in high-profile break-ups.
He was engaged to model and influencer Julia Rose, before they called it quits in 2022.
Paul joked on Valentine’s Day he was celebrating the occasion with his boxing gloves.
Leerdam dated fellow Dutch speedskater Koen Verweij for over five years, before pulling the plug.
In heartbreak, Paul and Leerdam found each other on Instagram.
They began chatting, before finally agreeing to meet up.
Paul wined and dined Leerdam in Miami, and they blossomed from there.
By April 2023, they were officially an item.
Coping in defeat
No boxer likes to taste defeat, especially when it happens for the first time.
Paul was, by his own admission, at his lowest ebb after he was defeated by rival Tommy Fury.
In the past, he would have no one to turn to.
But this time, dating a fellow sports star who understands competition, he was able to turn to cry on Leerdam’s shoulder.
Paul said in a YouTube video: “I have a new girlfriend which is pretty cool.
“It’s been so refreshing, she’s a world champion and I’ve just been so amazed by her and her work ethic and how much of an angel she is.
“She’s one of the most pure-hearted human beings that I have met in my life, so genuine and she has just changed my perspective and helped me coming out of this loss when I was in a dark place.
“She really was there talking about her losses and was able to relate to those things and what I was going through.
“So she’s been such a blessing; Jutta if you’re watching this… hi, you’re amazing.”
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Hints of marriage
Maybe influenced by his brother Logan, who is now engaged to model Nina Agdal, Jake has hinted at marriage with Leerdam.
Last year, he candidly spoke about the idea of settling down with Leerdam to his elder sibling on the BS w/ Jake Paul podcast.
He revealed: “It’s funny. Interestingly enough, I dream of the same thing (marriage and family) and getting to become best friends with my kids.
“Just being there all the time, which is why I work so hard, is to have the financial freedom to be able to not work when they’re born and to be with them all the time… And doing it with my wife at the time, which I believe will be Jutta.”
She’s a good influence
As well as helping him get over defeat to Fury, Leerdam has also helped Paul maintain a winning mentality.
He admitted to us he was thankful to her for the major part she is playing in his boxing career.
Paul told SunSport: “It’s a game-changer and I can fully focus on what I want to do with the support from here.
“She can give me mental advice and coaching, even physical performance advice and it’s just been such a game-changer.
Mike Tyson's controversial comeback
Mike Tyson is BACK!
Yes, boxing’s youngest heavyweight champ of all time – just 20 when he achieved the feat – is preparing to lace them up again.
He faces YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on July 20 in Texas.
The controversial clash – set for the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Dallas – has been scrutinised over the 30-year age gap.
Tyson will be 58 by the time the fight for the ages comes around and nearly 20 years removed from his last professional contest.
He was last seen in the ring in November 2020 for an exhibition with fellow legend Roy Jones Jr, which ended a draw after eight rounds.
Paul is meanwhile 9-1 in the ring, losing only to Tommy Fury in 2023, and has won three times since.
His fight with Tyson will also be a landmark first on Netflix, with over 250MILLION subscribers able to watch the bout.
“She inspires me to be better and I’ve told her from day one like, ‘Hey, I want to be just like you, I want to be a world champion.’
“So she holds me to that standard.”
Power couple
While Paul harbours ambitions to become a boxing champion, Leerdam’s focus will be on the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics in 2026.
He insisted that they have the potential to become the next sporting super couple, following in the footsteps of Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens or Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.
In an episode of BS w/ Jake Paul, he appeared alongside Leerdam who revealed she had set the world record for the fastest time to perform 1,000 metres in speed skating, to which Paul replied: “I’m so proud of you.”
He then continued: “I think it is cool, I was thinking about something the other day…
“At the time you go to the Winter Olympics in two years, that is when I am going to be fighting for a world championship.
“We both could potentially be world champions.
“Number one in the world together, and I think that might just be the first couple to do that.”