Body language expert Judi James has shed some light on Rory McIlroy’s telling interview with Amanda Balionis, as well as his and Erica Stoll’s loved-up post-victory dynamic
Rory McIlroy says Masters victory was ‘worth the wait’
High on his Masters victory, Rory McIlroy has heaped praise on those in his close-knit support network, including his caddy Harry Diamond, his parents, and his four-year-old daughter, Poppy.
In an interview with CBS news reporter Amanda Balionis, Rory, 35, spoke of wanting to make young Poppy ‘proud’, adding: “I have had an incredible support system the whole way throughout my life as an only child, the support that I had from my parents, they saw some potential in me as a golfer, and they give me every opportunity to try to fulfill that potential.”
“I said on the on the green, while I was doing the trophy presentation, I hadn’t given up for 17 years. And I think that’s a really good lesson for any young boy or girl that was watching that: Never give up on your dreams and to keep fighting for it. And if you do the work, and you put in the effort, that you can achieve anything, and hopefully, Poppy saw that today.”
READ MORE: Rory McIlroy’s 10-word text message that helped inspire historic Masters win
However, one special person in Rory’s life didn’t get a mention – his wife, Erica Stoll. The interview snippet shown online may not be the full segment, meaning Mcllroy may have mentioned Erica in another part of the chat. But fans have so far been left wondering why the golfing star did not mention Erica in the clip.
Last year, following Rory and Erica’s shock divorce announcement, the pro golfer was rumoured to be romantically connected to sports reporter Balionis. However, this has never been confirmed and neither Mcllroy nor Balionis have commented on the matter. Now Rory and Erica are on strong terms, with the golfer announcing a shock U-turn on his divorce filing and Erica helping him reach the ultimate win.
While Rory has piled on the praise for his wife and family in other interviews, and rushed to embrace her after his stunning win, he failed to mention Erica in the footage shared so far from the interview with Balionis. And commenting on what she regards as an ‘unusual’ set-up, body language expert Judi James told the Mirror: “The set-up for McIlroy’s interview with Balionis was unusual in the way that it featured both Rory and Amanda in equal camera close-up rather than focusing primarily on Rory’s face and letting Balionis do the usual interviewer’s back of the head ‘noddys’.
“This showed that inner child in detail, with McIlroy’s wide eyes, raised brows and an understandably boyishly smug smile of utter delight that projected self-assurance and confidence. The relaxed beaming smile evaporated slightly when Balionis referred to the ‘village’ that will go to create success. His eye expression became slightly wary, and the reference to his ‘mom and dad’ made him close his eyes slowly with some hints of choking up. He sucked his lips inward in a gesture of self-control and then performed a mouth shrug.”
She continued: “Referring to his ‘incredible support system’ his eye gaze turned to the side that is often considered a reflection of the past. He shook his head in a denial ritual before gazing into the distance when he referenced the ‘support from my parents’ as an only child. Next up, he thanked ‘Harry on the bag’, using some verbal stutters or fillers plus a ‘you know’ to suggest a dip in his confidence at this point. He performed a wince and shrugged his shoulders as he diminished the size of his ‘close-knit village’.
“McIlroy skipped mention of Erica to reference his daughter Poppy next, with his face suddenly lighting up in a teeth-baring smile. His tongue poked through his teeth, and as he spoke of his daughter, he placed heavy tonal emphasis on the word ‘her’, which he used twice. His eyes rolled upward in an arc and then, rather than delve too forensically into his ‘close knit village’ he performed something of a verbal swerve, focusing on the lessons his success would give to young people.”
Back in May 2024, Rory announced he would be filing for divorce after seven years of marriage. But by June, the couple had a change of heart, withdrawing the divorce filing in a shock turnaround. Now Rory and Erica appear to be all loved-up, with the couple sharing a heartfelt moment after he completed his career grand slam in Augusta, Georgia.
Speaking with the Mirror, Judi also commented on Rory and Erica’s “celebratory rituals” following the victory, drawing comparisons with First Lady, Melania Trump. She remarked: “McIlroy’s win cleared the space in terms of his authentic body language reveals. Fans have watched as McIlroy has endured what he calls himself a ‘decade of emotion that I’ve kept in’, but the moment his hands clapped onto the sides of his head, and his legs buckled in an outpouring of relief at his win the validated version of Rory appeared, and his non-verbal signals and expressions suggested a retrospective return to the young boy that he was when he started on his golfing journey.
“His celebratory rituals with wife Erica looked very parent/child. Rory puffed loudly as he approached her, with his eyes on her in a gesture of relief and a release of pent-up pressure and stress that seemed to have come up from his boots.”
She added: “Rory held both arms out like a small child asking for a hug and when they hug happened, he clung round Erica’s neck like a needy child. Erica’s responses were complimentary in terms of looking parental as she patted and rubbed his back in soothing rituals, although her wide-brimmed hat pulled off the ‘Melania effect’ of distancing and covering in the way the First Lady’s hat did during the inauguration. It created a more tempered response, and the pats could have been seen as a signal to break.”
Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com. Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads
READ MORE: ‘After 12 years of testing perfumes, this £70 scent is the only one I keep rebuying’