Three months after their wedding, England star Steph Houghton's husband revealed he was battling motor neurone disease.
Now the Durham-born defender has revealed she would even sacrifice playing at the World Cup in order to care for the man she calls her "ultimate inspiration".
Manchester City's Steph married former Liverpool ace Stephen Darby last June, but in September he quit the sport after revealing his battle with the degenerative condition.
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And she's said her husband comes first - even if that means sacrificing her career, reports the Mirror.
"He's my priority. If anything were to change in the near future, my job is to be the best wife that I can be and to look after him," said the Lionesses' captain, who said things were currently "great".
"He's been an unbelievable person in the way he has dealt with it. He has been everything I knew he would be.
"He really motivates me to be the best person I can be and the ultimate thing for me is to make him proud.
"He's the ultimate inspiration for me and my family and he's been so strong.
"My focus is the World Cup now and fingers crossed it never, ever gets to the moment where I have to step away. If I'm selected, he'll come to the tournament."
Stephen was capped for England under-19s while at Liverpool before a career in the Football League.
He was just 29 when he announced his retirement last September after receiving the bombshell diagnosis of the same incurable condition as Stephen Hawking.
It is the first time 30-year-old Steph has opened up about her husband's fight since he revealed his battle.
Her England side face Scotland, Argentina and Japan in Group D at this summer's tournament in France.
The Lionesses reached the semi-finals in 2015 and are among the favourites to reach the latter stages again.
