Bill Belichick's Girlfriend Linda Holliday is 'the Rose Next to the Thorn' - Facts about Her

Head coach and General Manager of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick, is famous for being a tough nut to crack, but he met his match in his girlfriend, Linda Holliday.

New England Patriots coach and G.M. Bill Belichick is a legend in the NFL. He is the only coach to have won six Super Bowl titles.

He's hard as nails and twice as prickly, but Bill Belichick's long-time girlfriend, Linda Holliday, sees a different side to him. The pretty blonde mother of two knows him as a warm, sweet man whom his adversaries wouldn't recognize.

Bill Belichick was born on April 16, 1952, in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of NFL player and coach Steve Belichick. Belichick tried his luck as a player, but his talent was not on the field, it was in his brilliantly innovative tactical mind.

He started working as a defensive coordinator for the New York Giants in 1979 where he enjoyed two Superbowl victories. After a stint as head coach with the Cleveland Browns, Belichick joined the New England Patriots in 1996.

He has been there ever since, coaching players like Tom Brady, Mac Jones, and Cam Newton. Belichick became head coach and led the Patriots to six incredible Superbowl victories.

Belichick was married to Debby Clarke, and the two share three children, but divorced in 2006 over alleged infidelity. It was in 2007 that Belichick would meet former beauty queen Linda Holliday.

Linda Holliday Was an SEC Football Girl

Like Belichick, Holliday is from Tennessee, and she was born in June 1963. She is the coach's junior by 11 years, and when she turned 50 in 2013, Holliday celebrated with a pink-themed party attended by NFL celebrities.

At the time Holliday and Belichick met, she was going through her third divorce, and he was embroiled in a juicy scandal.

Holliday has confessed that as a former pageant contestant, she loves glitz and glitter and even has a bedazzled football jacket with Belichick's name on it in Swarovski crystals.

The former beauty queen won the title of Miss Little Rock and was a runner-up for the title of Miss Arkansas in 2000.

She attended Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tennessee, where she studied Radiography and was part of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

When she met Belichick, Holliday was the owner of Blue Indigo Boutique, but in 2009 she became a TV correspondent for WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV.

Like Belichick, Holliday is divorced. She is the proud mom of two daughters, identical twins. The girls were born on May 21, 1992, with Kat born seven minutes ahead of Ashley. In 2022, Holliday wrote on Instagram:

"Happy National Daughters Day @thehesstwins! You guys are the love of my life & I couldn't be more proud of you both! Keep shining your positivity and light! ILYSM!! 💗💗"

On September 18, 2020, Holliday lost her father, James W. Greene, who passed away at the age of 79. Greene was a veterinarian and founded the Brentwood Veterinary Clinic in Tennessee and the Marathon Veterinary Clinic in Florida.

That same week, Belichick's mother, Jeannette Belichick, passed away at the age of 98, leaving both families bereft. Holliday said of Jeannette:

"She was the kindest and sweetest person that you could ever meet. She learned six different languages in her lifetime, was an avid reader and lover of animals. We were all blessed that she touched our lives."

Bill Belichick Has Been with His Girlfriend for over a Decade

At the time Holliday and Belichick met, she was going through her third divorce, and he was embroiled in a juicy scandal with former Giants' receptionist Sharon Shenocca.

Sharon testified that Belichick had showered her with gifts and cash to the tune of $150,000. It all came out during Sharon's divorce tussle with ex-husband Vincent Shenocca.

Sharon claimed that there was no affair and no romance, and the gifts were all gestures of friendship on Belichick's part.

While all that was going on, Holliday and Belichick started dating, and over 15 years later, they are still together and going strong. On Valentine's Day 2022, Holliday shared a snap of the couple in a playful pose, and caption it:

"Happy Valentine’s Day to the man that still melts my heart and makes me laugh after 15 years! You stole my heart a long time ago! I found love when I found you! ❤️ 🌹❤️"

In August 2021, Belichick was spotted at a game wearing a ring, and fans started wondering if they had married quietly, but the couple never referred to it.

Linda Hadn't Watched Much Pro Football before She Met Bill Belichick

Even though she is now a familiar sight to the Patriots fans on the sidelines, Holliday was more of a college ball fan before she met Belichick. Holliday said:

“I grew up in the south, so I was an SEC football girl and never paid attention to pro football. They didn’t have pro football when I was growing up in Tennessee, so Bill has brought me into that world.”

Bill Belichick and His Girlfriend Linda Do Charity Work

But the woman whom Belichick refers to as "the rose next to the thorn" is also passionate about to giving back to the community. In 2019, Holliday and Belichick were recognized for their efforts to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Holliday is also the director of the Bill Belichick Foundation, which offers scholarships to promising athletes, as well as funds and equipment to deserving schools and organizations, in the US and abroad.