Bill Belichick dated his ex-girlfriend Linda Holliday for 16 years before they divorced in 2023.
Bill Belichick entered the 2023 New England Patriots season without a significant other on his side.
Coach Belichick and his longtime girlfriend, Linda Holliday, have split after 16 years together, a source told PEOPLE in September.
The insider shared that the “relationship ran its course” and that the former couple “were pretty much separated for a while.”
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While the split may have come as a surprise to fans, those who have been following closely have noticed that Holliday, who is normally active on Instagram, has not posted on her social media since March 2023. Her most recent post showed Belichick posing with the recipients of the account. A scholarship from the Belichick Foundation, the organization where she is president.
Season 2023-24. not only was it significantly different without Holliday on the sidelines, it was Belichick’s last with the Patriots after 24 seasons. In January 2024, ESPN reported that Belichick was parting ways with the team following a mutual agreement with Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
So who is Bill Belichick’s ex-girlfriend? Here’s everything there is to know about Linda Holliday and her relationship with the Patriots head coach.
She went to Vanderbilt University
Linda Holliday and Bill Belichick attend the 145th Kentucky Derby.
Michael Loccisano/Getty
Although Holliday may now live in Nantucket, Massachusetts, she spent some time in the South when she attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. She studied radiography there from 1984 to 1986, according to her LinkedIn.
In an interview with Boston Common magazine in August 2022, Holliday shared that she wishes more people knew about the career she had before becoming a television host and joining the NFL.
“In my speech [at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation], I said something about how I spent 15 years selling medical X-ray equipment like CT equipment and MRIs and breast imaging and got a degree in radiography from Vanderbilt University,” she said. “A lot of people were shocked because people in Boston knew me in the fashion world as a television spokesperson on Boston style.”
She is a television host
Bill Belichick and Linda Holliday at the Boston Common cover party.
Marc Andrew Deley/WireImage
According to her LinkedIn, Holliday was a sports correspondent for Style Boston, which was a segment on WBZ-TV and myTV38. She started working for the station in December 2009 and has continued to appear since then.
She and Belichick started dating in 2007 and broke up in 2023
Linda Holliday and Bill Belichick on TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People 2007.
PATRICK MCMULLAN/Patrick McMullan/Getty
Belichick and Holliday began dating in 2007, a year after his divorce from Debby Clarke. Although the two never married, they dated for 16 years and worked closely together, especially on joint philanthropic efforts.
However, in September 2023, news emerged that the couple had broken up. While neither Belichick nor Holliday have publicly addressed the breakup, a source told PEOPLE that they had been in a bind for some time, adding that the issue that led to the split “is not new.”
“Bill is all about football and is very busy now. She doesn’t want a lot of public attention about this,” the source said. “She’s got a lot on her plate, a good family and she’s meeting people all the time.”
Belichick also bought a house last year in Jupiter, Fla., where Holliday is from and near where they met in Palm Beach, another source close to the situation told PEOPLE.
“Linda is a wonderful person. Bill bought a house in Jupiter for him and Linda, but now she’s going to get the house,” the insider said.
She serves as president of the Bill Belichick Foundation
Linda Holliday at Gillette Stadium in 2019.
Maddie Meyer/Getty
Holliday’s main job in recent years has been overseeing the Bill Belichick Foundation, which provides coaching, mentoring and financial support to aspiring athletes and communities. The foundation often provides scholarships to support those who want to play sports.
In his interview with Boston CommonHolliday explained that every fall she and Belichick personally reviewed “every single application” for the foundation’s grant program.
“Every year it’s a tremendous group of wonderful and amazing student-athletes and programs that are underfunded,” she said. “It is always difficult to narrow down the candidates and select the winners since there are so many deserving students and programs that we hear from.”
However, since the couple parted ways in September 2023, Holliday’s role in Bill Belichick’s Foundation has become more complicated.
“They need to clear up the issues that come from a long relationship as well as her role in his professional life,” a source told PEOPLE. “She’ll still be on Jupiter, and we’ll see what happens.”
She’s a mom
Linda Holliday with mom and daughters.
Linda Holliday on Instagram
Holliday is mom to two twin daughters, Ashley and Katie Hess, from a previous relationship. For National Daughters Day in September 2022, Holliday posted a picture of her two girls performing a DJ set.
“Happy National Daughters Day @thehesstwins! You are the love of my life and I couldn’t be more proud of you both! Keep shining with your positivity and light! ILYSM!! 💗💗”, she wrote in the description.
The girls have their own Instagram account where they post their DJ sets and build their brand as content creators.
She and Belichick shared a dog, Nike
Linda Holliday with her dog.
Linda Holliday on Instagram
Holliday is also a dog mom. The philanthropist even has an Instagram account dedicated to Nike, the dog she shared with Belichick, with over 20,000 followers.
Nike is an Alaskan Klee Kai, and according to his Instagram, he likes to spend time doing activities with his family. Holliday likes to post photos and videos of the dog walking outside, playing and even cheering for the Patriots.
In May 2021, Holliday posted a video of Nike sitting down with Belichick after the draft. “Another draft in the books Dad! And what a draft! Pawsitively awesome!!! 🐾XO~ The Swoosh,” she wrote in the caption.
They supported each other’s passions
Bill Belichick and Linda Holliday attend the Breast Cancer Research Foundation 2014 Hot Pink Party.
D Dipasupil/FilmMagic
Both Holliday and Belichick were happy to stand by each other as they pursued their passions. In a December 2018 interview with CBS Boston, Holliday shared that Belichick often accompanied her to charity events, including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s Hot Pink Party.
“In our 12 years together, Bill has been so dynamic in supporting causes close to my heart and really just supporting me,” she said. “And I appreciate and love that about him. We are just honored and privileged.”
Holliday, for her part, often attended Patriots games with Belichick’s children — something the Patriots head coach doesn’t take for granted. At the end of every game, Holliday said Belichick would throw his iconic wave and direct it toward the suite where she and his children sat.
“Within the family you feel good supporting him and you saw the happiness for this win and the love he has for this game and his family,” she explained.
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Source: HIS Education