Two very different cameras followed Elle Smith through 2021: one from a Louisville TV newsroom, the other from the Miss USA stage. She won the crown while working as a local reporter, then built a transatlantic life in London with England captain Leah Williamson — and the public record around her is uneven enough that this profile separates what’s documented from what’s still guesswork.
Full Name: Elle Smith · Date of Birth: June 20, 1998 · Place of Birth: Springfield, Ohio, USA · Height: 5’10” (178 cm) · Title: Miss USA 2021 · Partner: Leah Williamson
Quick snapshot
- Won Miss USA 2021 after taking Miss Kentucky USA 2021 (University of Kentucky journalism school)
- Graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2020 (University of Kentucky Alumni)
- Was a working journalist at WHAS-TV when she won the crown (NPR)
- The exact nature and scope of the “Elle Smith Untamed” project — documented only in her own social-media posts
- Whether any verified Rick and Morty connection exists — no credit shows up in her documented filmography
- The precise start date of the relationship with Leah Williamson — most evidence lives in social-media posts
- Reliable net-worth figures for either partner — none are published
- November 29, 2021 — wins Miss USA 2021 in Tulsa, Oklahoma (NPR)
- December 2021 — represents the US at Miss Universe 2021 in Eilat, Israel (University of Kentucky journalism school)
- 2023 — relationship with Williamson becomes public (Wikipedia, Leah Williamson entry)
- Late 2023 / 2024 — Williamson shares her Ankylosing Spondylitis diagnosis (Wikipedia, Leah Williamson entry)
- Smith is building a fitness-and-lifestyle content series from London
- Williamson continues her Arsenal and England career while managing a chronic condition
- Expect more attention on the couple during major women’s football tournaments
Seven data points, one pattern: a traditional pageant resume sits underneath a modern, transatlantic public life.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Elle Smith |
| Birth Date | June 20, 1998 |
| Birth Place | Springfield, Ohio, USA (NPR) |
| Height | 5’10” (178 cm) |
| Titles Held | Miss USA 2021, Miss Kentucky USA 2021 (University of Kentucky journalism school) |
| Partner | Leah Williamson (Arsenal WFC) |
| Occupation | Model, Actress, Digital Creator |
Who Is Elle Smith?
Elle Smith is the rare American titleholder whose Miss USA win happened in the middle of a working journalism career, not after years on the pageant circuit. On November 29, 2021, she won the Miss USA 2021 crown at the River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Oklahoma, while employed as a multimedia journalist at WHAS-TV in Louisville (NPR).
What is Elle Smith’s nationality and ethnicity?
- Nationality: American — born in Springfield, Ohio, and raised in the Midwest before moving to Kentucky for university (Wikipedia, Elle Smith entry)
- Ethnicity: The National Newspaper Publishers Association, which serves the Black press, profiled her as a “Black journalist” when she won Miss USA (National Newspaper Publishers Association)
- Family: Her pageant biography describes her father as a photographer and her mother as a classically trained pianist (AL.com)
She won Miss Kentucky USA 2021 first, then carried that momentum to the Miss USA stage and later to Miss Universe 2021 in Eilat, Israel (University of Kentucky journalism school). Her journalism resume predates the crown: before WHAS-TV, she interned with WLEX-TV and Fox News’ Washington bureau, and at the University of Kentucky she served as vice president of the campus chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists while working across the UK Student News Network, the Kentucky Kernel, and WRFL (University of Kentucky journalism school).
How old is Elle Smith?
- Wikipedia lists her birth date as June 20, 1998, in Springfield, Ohio, and names Shawnee High School as her alma mater, class of 2016 (Wikipedia, Elle Smith entry)
- Wikipedia’s entry also places her in the Top 10 at Miss Universe 2021 (Wikipedia, Elle Smith entry)
- Was 23 at the time of her Miss USA win
The same biography highlighted a personal driver: cervical-cancer awareness, inspired by her grandmother’s death from cervical cancer (AL.com). At 23, she had a degree, a TV job, and a platform already — the pageant was a layer on top, not a starting line.
Most Miss USA winners arrive from pageant circuits or modeling rosters. Smith arrived from a newsroom shift — and that reporter’s reflex still shapes how she controls her public story, from TikTok captions to match-day posts.
The pattern: every documented layer of Smith’s early life — journalism internships, campus newsrooms, a pageant win mid-career — points the same direction. She treats public attention as an extension of reporting, not a replacement for it.
The pattern: the stronger documentation belongs to her professional timeline, not her personal one.
Is Leah Williamson in a Relationship with Elle Smith?
Yes — and unlike much of the internet chatter around this couple, that part is well established. Smith’s partner is Leah Williamson, the Arsenal and England defender who captained England through the team’s major international success in the early 2020s; the relationship became public in 2023 (Wikipedia, Leah Williamson entry).
How long have Leah Williamson and Elle Smith been together?
- Public confirmation came in 2023, after months of social-media speculation
- That puts the couple at roughly three years together as of this writing — most of them spent as a public pairing rather than a private one
- Both women appear in each other’s feeds regularly, including match-day posts from Arsenal
Does Leah Williamson have a husband?
- No. Williamson has never been married
- The “husband” search is a pattern common with high-profile female athletes whose partner is not male
- Engagement rumors surface online from time to time; neither woman has confirmed one
Where do they live?
- The couple’s base is London, where Williamson plays for Arsenal
- Smith splits her time between London and the US for family and work
- Her recent content series is filmed in and around London
The honest caveat: most of this is documented through Instagram posts and TikTok clips, not feature interviews. The relationship is real and public — but the who-met-whom, when-exactly, how-serious details are thinner than the headlines imply.
Almost everything fans know about this relationship comes from the couple’s own posts. That makes the relationship easy to verify — and the details dangerously easy to overstate.
What this means: the relationship is the most searched aspect of Smith’s life and the least documented one. Treat any timeline more specific than “public since 2023” as approximate.
What Condition Does Leah Williamson Have?
Leah Williamson, the Arsenal and England defender, has spoken publicly about being diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) (Wikipedia, Leah Williamson entry). The disclosure came after a period away from the pitch and was widely discussed in women’s football.
How does Ankylosing Spondylitis affect her football career?
- AS is a chronic inflammatory condition that mainly affects the spine, causing pain, stiffness, and fatigue
- For a defender, the physical demands are brutal: sprinting, turning, jumping, and repeated impact all stress the spine
- Williamson has described exercise and medication as central to managing the condition
The broader context: AS is often diagnosed late, especially in women, because early symptoms masquerade as ordinary back pain. Williamson’s decision to name it — rather than let rumors fill the space — gave younger athletes a visible template for competing with a chronic condition.
A chronic spinal condition ends most athletic careers within a season or two. Williamson is still captaining Arsenal and England — that is the statistic that matters more than any diagnosis headline.
Why this matters: for anyone watching the couple, Williamson’s health is the quiet variable behind every schedule, every match-day decision, and every future major tournament.
How Much Is Leah Williamson Worth?
There is no official, verified figure for Leah Williamson’s net worth — the numbers circulating in fan forums and aggregator sites are guesses, and the spread between them is enormous. What is documented is her standing: a first-team regular at Arsenal in the Women’s Super League and England captain during the team’s major international success in the early 2020s (Wikipedia, Leah Williamson entry).
What are her major endorsement deals?
- Nike is the brand most frequently associated with her in public reporting
- Her commercial value has climbed alongside Arsenal’s and England’s rising visibility
- Exact contract terms and salary figures have not been made public
The trade-off: as the women’s game monetizes, appetite for player earnings grows faster than clubs’ willingness to disclose them. “Millions” is a direction, not a data point.
How Tall Is Leah Williamson?
This is the most searched physical comparison in the couple’s fan ecosystem, and the numbers are straightforward.
How tall is Elle Smith?
- Elle Smith’s profile lists 5’10” (178 cm) (Wikipedia, Elle Smith entry)
- Leah Williamson’s profile lists 5’7″ (Wikipedia, Leah Williamson entry)
- The gap between them: three inches — visible in nearly every red-carpet photo
Who is the tallest female footballer?
At 5’7″, Williamson sits in a normal range for a center-back. The true outliers in the women’s game are almost always goalkeepers — height offers a measurable edge on crosses and corners, which is why the tallest internationals tend to line up between the posts.
The height gap between Smith and Williamson is one of the most-commented details on their posts — and a useful reminder that “tall” reads differently in pageantry, where 5’10” is modeling-standard, than in football, where it would be unusual for an outfield player.
The implication: height is the most searchable thing about this couple and the least meaningful one — the numbers just give fans a concrete language for a very visible pairing.
What Are Some Interesting Facts About Leah Williamson?
Beyond the captaincy and the condition, two smaller mysteries dominate search traffic around this couple — and neither is fully resolved.
What is the project ‘Elle Smith Untamed’?
- In 2025, Smith returned to TikTok with a fitness-and-lifestyle series that fans have informally branded “Elle Smith Untamed”
- No official press release or brand statement has defined the project
- The content mixes workout routines, London scenes, and personal updates
Does Elle Smith have a role in Rick and Morty?
- No verified credit connects Elle Smith to Rick and Morty
- Search interest in the pairing likely comes from name overlap with other actresses named “Elle” or “Ella”
- Her documented on-camera work is elsewhere: the 2022 Jack Harlow “Churchill Downs” music video and modeling work through The Source Models (Wikipedia, Elle Smith entry)
The verified fun facts about Williamson herself are more grounded: she captained England through the team’s most successful era in decades, she plays for one of the biggest clubs in women’s football, and she is one of the few England players whose personal life is followed by both football fans and pageant fans at the same time.
The pattern: the facts that are solid — the title, the football career, the London base — verify in seconds. The details that trend on social media — Rick and Morty, “Untamed,” engagement rumors — are the least documented.
Timeline: From Springfield to London
The couple’s story crosses two countries and two very different public stages. Some dates are documented; others are reconstructed from social media.
- June 20, 1998: Born in Springfield, Ohio, USA (NPR)
- 2021: Wins Miss Kentucky USA and then Miss USA 2021 (University of Kentucky journalism school)
- December 2021: Represents the US at Miss Universe 2021 in Eilat, Israel (University of Kentucky journalism school)
- 2022: Appears in Jack Harlow’s “Churchill Downs” music video (Wikipedia, Elle Smith entry)
- 2023: Relationship with Leah Williamson becomes public (Wikipedia, Leah Williamson entry)
- Late 2023 / 2024: Williamson shares her Ankylosing Spondylitis diagnosis (Wikipedia, Leah Williamson entry)
- 2025 / 2026: Smith launches a new content series from London (TikTok)
The pattern: every major milestone lands in a different world — a Tulsa casino arena, an Israeli pageant stage, a London football club — and the most recent entries rely on social media rather than press releases.
Confirmed Facts and What’s Still Unclear
Given how fast this couple’s story moves online, it helps to separate the documented from the speculative.
Confirmed facts
- Won Miss USA 2021 and worked as a WHAS-TV journalist during the reign (NPR)
- Born June 20, 1998, in Springfield, Ohio (Wikipedia, Elle Smith entry)
- Earned a broadcast journalism degree from the University of Kentucky in 2020 (University of Kentucky Alumni)
- Leah Williamson plays for Arsenal and captained England (Wikipedia, Leah Williamson entry)
- Williamson has publicly shared her Ankylosing Spondylitis diagnosis (Wikipedia, Leah Williamson entry)
What’s unclear
- The exact start date of the Smith-Williamson relationship
- Whether any Rick and Morty project involves Smith
- The nature and scope of “Elle Smith Untamed”
- Reliable net-worth figures for either woman
- Engagement rumors — repeated online, never confirmed
- How the couple splits time between London and the US
The split is instructive: what’s verified about this couple is professional and official; what’s unverified is personal and mediated through their own accounts.
In Their Own Words
The most reliable evidence in this story is what the two women have said directly.
Williamson has described living with Ankylosing Spondylitis as a daily negotiation — one she manages with exercise, medical guidance, and honest limits in club and national-team interviews.
Leah Williamson, on her Ankylosing Spondylitis diagnosis
Asked about journalism after winning Miss USA, Smith described it as a way to connect with her community and share new perspectives — a reporter’s answer that fit the moment.
Elle Smith, interview with NPR, 2021
On TikTok in 2025, Smith framed her return as fitness-first: rebuilding strength, showing London life, and letting the content speak for itself after a quieter stretch away from the spotlight.
Elle Smith, TikTok content series, 2025
The pattern here is the point: both women speak in controlled, deliberate increments — and that restraint is exactly why social-media fragments dominate the conversation.
For Elle Smith, the next chapter is the clearest it has been since the crown: no longer simply “Miss USA 2021” or “Leah Williamson’s partner,” she is building a London-based brand on her own terms — fitness content, fashion, and a deliberate, controlled public presence. For fans following the couple, the reliable protocol is simple: treat their own posts as primary sources, treat tabloid headlines as noise, and treat any precise net-worth or engagement date as fiction until one of them says otherwise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Elle Smith’s major in college?
Broadcast journalism, with a minor in political science, at the University of Kentucky. She graduated in 2020 (University of Kentucky Alumni).
How did Elle Smith win Miss USA?
She won Miss Kentucky USA 2021 first, then took the Miss USA 2021 crown on November 29, 2021 — the sequence is covered in the timeline above.
What is Ankylosing Spondylitis?
It is a chronic inflammatory condition that mainly affects the spine, causing pain and stiffness. Exercise and medication are the standard tools for managing it, and that is the approach Williamson has described using.
What is the net worth of Elle Smith?
No verified public figure exists. Her documented professional roles span local TV journalism, modeling, and digital content creation.
What brands does Elle Smith model for?
She is represented by The Source Models, and her most visible on-camera work includes the 2022 Jack Harlow “Churchill Downs” music video.
How can I follow Elle Smith on social media?
She is most active on TikTok and Instagram, where she posts fitness routines and London lifestyle content. Searching her name on either platform will surface her current accounts.
Who are Elle Smith’s parents?
Her pageant biography describes her father as a photographer and her mother as a classically trained pianist (AL.com).
George Thompson is Senior Reporter at UrbanMixr.uk, covering breaking culture, lifestyle and general news stories across the UK.