Nudity, sex, relationships – there isn’t a lot that Madonna has kept a secret from her ever-loyal fan base over her four decades as the ultimate Queen of pop. So it came as a surprise when the boundary-breaking star kept her blossoming romance with hot new man, Akeem Morris, under wraps for seemingly nearly a year before the pair went public last summer. 

But now a year on from making their romance official on social media over the 4th of July weekend, it’s clear that the couple are only going from strength to strength as Madonna happily flaunted their love with a carousel of snaps taken as she and Akeem celebrated her 67th birthday in Italy last week. 

Joined by Madonna’s children – Lourdes, 28, Rocco, 25, David, 19, Mercy, 19 and 13-year-old twins Stella and Estere – the couple were pictured strolling through the picturesque region of Tuscany, where the group stayed at Sting and Trudie Styler’s stunning villa, which costs £18,000 for 2 nights to rent. 

In one snap, the uber-stylish duo are dressed impeccably – Madonna in a floral, flowing dress and Akeem in dapper yellow checked chinos – as they walk side by side before appearing to stop at an ice cream parlour. 

And after the pair first sparked rumours of an engagement when Madonna posted pictures of her flashing what appeared to be a huge engagement rock during their New Year celebrations in Tokyo, a source now tells Closer that Madonna, 67, and Akeem, 29, are ready to ‘make things official’. 

The insider says, ‘Madonna’s saying life is too short to waste time playing games. Akeem makes her happy and she wants to make things official. She knows she has a reputation as this player who tosses guys when they hit their expiration date but the truth is she’s actually very open to commitment and marrying again. It’s what she’s always wanted.

‘People may roll their eyes at this relationship because of the huge age gap, but she and Akeem don’t care at all, they both say it doesn’t matter one bit to them. She’s head over heels and wants to spend the rest of her life as his wife.’

The couple, who have an eyebrow-raising 37 year age gap between them, are believed to have first met when he starred in her Paper Magazine photo shoot back in 2022. At the time Madonna had been dating boxer Joshua Popper, whom she split from last May after a year. 

Prior to meeting Joshua through her son David, who was training at his gym, Madonna was previously married to Sean Penn between 1985 and 1989, and Guy Ritchie from 2000 to 2008. The music icon has also previously dated Warren Beatty, Tupac and enjoyed a flirtation with John F. Kennedy Jr., but didn’t start to date ‘toy boys’ until after her divorce from film director, Guy. 

In 2013 she dated dancer Brahim Zaibat before moving on with choreographer Timor Steffens in 2014. She later dated dancer and choreographer Ahlamalik Williams, who was 36 years her junior, in 2019 before splitting three years later ahead of meeting Joshua.

But now the source says that for Madonna and her loved ones, it’s clear that she may have found The One in soccer player Akeem, who plays professionally for the NY Renegades FC. 

‘The other guys just haven’t matched up to Akeem in Madonna’s eyes. He’s solid in every way and he may be young but she says he’s more of a man than any other guy she’s been with in the past, and she’s including her ex-husbands in that equation,’ the insider says.

‘A lot of people in Madonna’s world were suspicious of Akeem at first. They figured he was like all the rest, just in it for the good times and all the perks of being with a superstar. But it’s become clear to everyone that he genuinely cares about Madonna. Sure, he enjoys being spoiled by her and living in the lap of luxury, but it’s obvious that things go a lot deeper than that.’ 

‘Anytime she needs him, he’s there for her. And, he’s had plenty of opportunities to cash in and he’s never taken one. He’s always able to say and do the right thing.’ 

Perhaps tellingly, outside of her busy showbiz life, Madonna has always spoken openly about the deep bond she shares with her children. And last week, Madonna revealed how much Akeem is very much a part of her low-key family life as well as her public profile when she shared some snaps of the twins’ 13th birthday soccer party, which saw Akeem acting as ‘coach’ to a group of Stella and Estere’s friends.

And the source adds, ‘He’s been a really solid presence for her kids, he brings such a positive energy to everything and they all love him. Madonna is of course totally smitten, she says he still gives her butterflies.’ 
Now, after tying the knot with actor Sean at a cliff-side Malibu mansion and walking down the aisle with Guy at Skibo Castle in Scotland, the source says Madonna is planning a more low-key family celebration in a place close to her heart this time around.

‘She’s not in a big hurry, but she has started to seriously talk about where and when they should do it,’ they tell us.

‘She doesn’t want to elope, she wants a proper ceremony with all their friends and family there to celebrate with them. They love spending time in Italy so that’s certainly on the shortlist as a possible location, and Portugal is another frontrunner. She’s also talking about doing it at her property in East Hampton, they have so much space and it would make it really easy to control access.’

However, while the source says Akeem is ready to marry Madonna any day, they say Madonna, who boasts an estimated net worth of a staggering $850 million, is naturally having to work out a prenup to protect herself and the future of her six children. 

The insider explains, ‘There’s no question Akeem would marry her tomorrow if she wanted, he already calls her ‘wifey’ all the time. 

‘Of course she also needs to get a rock-solid prenup agreement set up before they do this, but that shouldn’t be an issue. Akeem’s very easy going and he’s already signed an NDA and other paperwork just to date her, so it’s hard to imagine him having any issue with a prenup. 

‘Now that the ball is rolling, her friends are buzzing that they could be married before the end of the year!’