Spanish model Joana Sanz has announced she is expecting a baby girl, just three days after her husband, Brazilian footballer Dani Alves, was acquitted of rape charges by a Catalan High Court.
Sanz, 32, revealed her pregnancy in an emotional Instagram post on Monday, where she also shared her past struggles with fertility, including three miscarriages and two failed IVF attempts.
In her heartfelt message, Sanz opened up about the pressures of motherhood, explaining how she had faced social expectations about having children since she was 22.
“I never had a motherly instinct or the desire to carry someone’s baby,” she wrote. “Over the years, my friends were having children, and social media was filled with birth announcements. But no one talks about how difficult it can be to conceive.”
She revealed that she had suffered three miscarriages, undergone a salpingectomy (surgical removal of a fallopian tube), and been diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition that affects fertility.
Despite these challenges, she described her current pregnancy as a “rainbow after the storm,” attributing it to her late mother, whom she lost two years ago.
“My last frozen embryo, my last hope to have that reason to be strong in life… Here she is, healthy and growing. I know my mother sent her to me so that I never feel alone again.”
Sanz’s pregnancy announcement came shortly after her husband, Dani Alves, was cleared of rape allegations stemming from a 2022 incident at a Barcelona nightclub. Alves had spent 14 months in remand before a panel of judges overturned his conviction on appeal.
Following the verdict, Sanz revealed that she felt as if she had been the one on trial, facing public scrutiny, threats, and insults.
“I was singled out, insulted, threatened, and persecuted for two years—as if I were the one in the dock,” she stated.
She urged the public to stop spreading hate, adding: “I invite you to get informed and educated, so you don’t have to bite your tongue, which sometimes poisons.”
While Alves’ legal battle may not be over—his accuser is reportedly planning an appeal to Spain’s Supreme Court—Sanz appears focused on her future as she prepares to welcome her first child.
Her message concluded with a note of encouragement to women struggling with fertility: “Everything comes. Don’t give up.”
