Shortly after her 2014 divorce from the producer, however, a rumoured romance between Meghan and Rory McIlroy quickly captured the interest of her fans. Rory, favourite to win BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year tonight, and Meghan first crossed paths after the ace golfer – who had just won his 27th PGA title – nominated her to complete the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge 11 years ago

At one point, conjecture that Meghan, then 33, and Rory, then 25, were romantically involved was so widespread that the actress’s former beau allegedly confronted her about it. Royal author Tom Bower claimed celebrity chef Cory Vitiello, who was dating Meghan at the time, ‘angrily’ asked the former Suits actress if there ‘had been an affair’ after it was reported that she and Rory had met for dinner in Dublin. Writing in his book Revenge, Mr Bower said:

‘Emphatically, Meghan denied she had betrayed Cory. She and McIlroy were just friends, she said.’ By signing up, you will receive our newsletter as well as marketing emails with news, offers and updates from the Daily Mail. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. Rory Mcllroy (left), tipped to win tonight’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards, was previously friends with Meghan Markle (right).

The pair first crossed paths in the summer of 2014 +5 View gallery Rory Mcllroy (left), tipped to win tonight’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards, was previously friends with Meghan Markle (right). The pair first crossed paths in the summer of 2014 According to Mr Bower, their friendship began after Meghan accepted Rory’s nomination for the Ice Bucket Challenge on the condition that he come to her friend’s New York City apartment and pour the ice water over her head himself.