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After news broke of Song Joong-ki's agency HighZium Studio confirming that he was in a relationship with a non-celebrity, the identity of his girlfriend, believed to be Katy Louise Saunders, was widely speculated. She is a British actress with several credits in movies and television shows across languages.
Despite there being no confirmation from either party about these rumors, it has not stopped news outlets and netizens from doing some deep digging about Katy Louise, Song Joong-ki, and their blooming romance.
Following his Daesang victory for his role as the titular character in Vincenzo, during Song Joong-ki's speech at the 2022 APAN STAR Awards, the star thanked "Beloved Katy," which further fueled speculation that this mention was about Katy Louise Saunders.
Four things you need to know about Song Joong-ki's rumored girlfriend Katy Louise Saunders
1) She is England-born and Italy-raised
Born to a Columbian mother and British father in 1984 in London, Katy Louise went back and forth between the English capital and Italy due to her father's job posting.
It is no surprise, then, that the 38 year-old actress is fluent in Italian and English. After pursuing her prior education at an English school in Rome, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Milan's Bocconi University,
2) She has two dogs called Maya and Antes respectively
During Song Joong-ki's speech at the 2022 APAN STAR Awards mentioned above, the Korean actor also mentioned Maya and Antes, thanking them along with Katy. A little digging by netizens pointed to an old Facebook post by Katy Louise Saunders, where she mentions missing her two dogs who have these names.
There have also been unconfirmed rumors about Katy Louise having children from previous relationships. Another unnamed netizen also claimed to have seen the pair at a gynaecologist's office, but since Song Joong-ki's agency has not corroborated this, it is important to note that this is still hearsay.
3) She has acted in The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Law & Order, and several Italian films
Katy Louise Saunders made her motion picture debut in 2002 by playing the younger version of Italian feminist poet Sibilla Aleramo in Un viaggio chiamato amore (A Journey Called Love in English), which explored the relationship between her and another poet, Dino Campana.
Soon after, she starred as a credited extra (under the name Kate Sanders) in Disney's The Lizzie McGuire Movie in 2003, where she played a local girl from Rome, clutching a magazine with the protagonist's picture on it. Katy Louise also guest-starred in a Season 15 episode of Law & Order, titled Coming Down Hard, where she played Naomi.
All the while, Katy Louise Saunders continued acting in Italian films, including Los Borgia (2006) for which she bagged a Best New Performer Award, Sant'Agostino (2010), and Sapore di te (2014).
4) Her acting chops have landed her roles in a handful of big-budget Hollywood movies
The actor's first big Hollywood break came in 2013 with the release of Third Person. Co-starring Liam Neeson, Mila Kunis, Adrien Brody, Kim Basinger, among others, Third Person featured three parallel love stories which intersect across Rome, Paris, and New York. The movie was written and directed by Paul Haggis.
In 2018, Saunders played Alessandra in Welcome Home, a film about a couple who get tangled in a web of dangerous games concocted by the owner of their rented villa in the Italian countryside. The lead roles were played by Aaron Paul (of Breaking Bad fame), Emily Ratajkowski, and Riccardo Scamarcio.
Katy has not taken on any acting roles since 2018, and is rumored to have retired from the industry, choosing to become a language teacher instead. It is also purported that this is how she met Song Joong-ki, introduced by a mutual friend or as an Italian teacher for the Korean actor.
Katy Louise Saunders and Song Joong-ki have been spotted at several weddings, including a mutual friend's just a few days after the announcement of the Korean superstar's relationship.
Fans are understandably excited about this new development in the Descendents of the Sun actor's life, and one can hope that they respect the couple's privacy outside of the details already given out by his agency.
