Bia Antony is a Brazilian activist and businesswoman best known as the ex wife of football legend Ronaldo Nazário. The couple married in 2008, welcomed two daughters, Maria Sophia and Maria Alice, and separated in 2012. But her story goes far beyond a famous marriage.

Bia later built a life around motherhood, charity work, ESG, and environmental causes. She also remarried and expanded her family. So, who is the woman who once shared her life with one of football’s biggest stars? Her story includes love, family, public pressure, and a quieter career built away from the football field.

Bia Antony Quick Bio

Who Is Bia Antony?

Bia Antony, whose full name is Maria Beatriz Antony, is a Brazilian activist, businesswoman, and former wife of football legend Ronaldo Nazário. She became widely known after their relationship went public in 2007. This is the Brazilian Ronaldo often called Ronaldo Fenômeno, not Cristiano Ronaldo.

Her public story did not end with football fame. She later became active in charity work, social projects, and environmental causes. In recent years, she has also spoken about ESG, climate issues, social equality, and the role women can play in change. Brazilian media now often describe her as an activist rather than simply Ronaldo’s former wife.

Bia Antony’s Early Life in Brasília

Bia grew up in Brasília, the capital of Brazil. Unlike many people linked to famous athletes, she did not start her adult life as a model or TV star. Her early path focused more on study and a normal professional life.

She studied engineering but put her course on hold in 2004. At the time, she moved to England with racing driver Nelson Piquet Jr., known as Nelsinho Piquet, who was her boyfriend. She later returned to Brazil and completed her studies. That part of her story helps explain why public descriptions of her have varied over the years. Some called her a socialite or businesswoman, while later reports focused more on her work as an activist and project leader.

Bia Antony Before Meeting Ronaldo Nazário

Long before the Ronaldo years, Antony had already spent time outside Brazil. Her relationship with Nelsinho Piquet took her to Europe while he built his motor racing career. Brazilian sports reports identified her as his former partner when news of her relationship with Ronaldo first appeared in 2007.

That background placed her near the world of professional sport, but she was not famous on the same scale as Ronaldo. Things changed fast once the new romance became public. Ronaldo was already one of the best known football players on the planet. He had won the FIFA World Cup with Brazil and played for major clubs such as Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Barcelona, and AC Milan. Life beside him meant intense press interest almost at once.

How Did Bia Antony Meet Ronaldo?

Reports about the couple began appearing in 2007, when Ronaldo Nazário was playing for AC Milan. Brazilian media soon identified Maria Beatriz as his new girlfriend. Their romance became serious, and the pair began building a life together.

The relationship also faced heavy public attention. In April 2008, Ronaldo became involved in a widely reported incident in Rio de Janeiro. The event caused a brief break between the couple. Contemporary reports referred to Antony as his girlfriend or fiancée at that point. They later reconciled. Soon after, news emerged that she was pregnant with their first child. The couple went forward with their relationship and married later in 2008. Their private life remained a regular subject in the Brazilian press.

Bia Antony and Ronaldo’s Married Life

Marriage placed Bia inside one of Brazil’s most watched celebrity families. Yet she often seemed less interested in celebrity culture than many people expected. In a 2012 interview, she spoke about how hard it had been to adjust to the huge amount of attention that followed her husband.

The couple made São Paulo an important base for their family. Ronaldo was nearing the final years of his playing career and later retired from professional football in 2011. Away from the pitch, they worked on family life and social causes. Antony gradually built a public identity of her own. Instead of trying to create a career around television or entertainment, she became more involved with social projects. That work soon became an important part of her public profile.

Bia Antony as the Mother of Ronaldo’s Daughters

Family became a major part of her life during the marriage. Bia and Ronaldo welcomed their first daughter, Maria Sophia Nazário de Lima, on December 24, 2008, in Rio de Janeiro. Their second daughter, Maria Alice Nazário de Lima, was born on April 6, 2010, in São Paulo.

The girls are part of Ronaldo’s wider family. His oldest son, Ronald Nazário, was born during his marriage to former football player Milene Domingues. He is also the father of Alexander, whose mother is Michele Umezu. Bia has kept her daughters’ lives fairly private compared with the public attention around their father. Even as they grew older, Maria Sophia and Maria Alice made only limited public appearances.

Bia Antony and Fundação Criando Fenômenos

One of the strongest parts of Bia’s public record is her work in philanthropy. She helped develop Fundação Criando Fenômenos, a social project linked to Ronaldo. Reports from the period say the idea grew in large part from her wish to turn public attention into useful social work.

The foundation supported existing groups that worked with children and communities in Brazil. Antony took an active role. She visited organizations and helped choose projects that could receive support. Even after her marriage ended, she continued working with the foundation. In January 2013, she and Ronaldo appeared together at a charitable event in Fortaleza. Their joint appearance showed that the social work continued even after their personal relationship had changed.

Why Did Bia Antony and Ronaldo Separate?

The couple’s marriage ended in 2012. Their separation became public in late December after several months of private discussions. Reports at the time said the decision was mutual and peaceful. They also spent Christmas together with their family before starting separate lives.

Ronaldo later refused to give a dramatic reason for the breakup. He described it as a personal matter and said they remained friends. He also stressed that raising Maria Sophia and Maria Alice remained a shared responsibility. Bia continued her work with their social foundation as well. That matters because celebrity divorces often create louder headlines than the facts support. In this case, the public statements from both sides pointed to a civil separation rather than a long public fight.

Bia Antony’s Marriage to Marcelo Ciampolini

Life changed again after the divorce. Bia later formed a relationship with Marcelo Ciampolini, a Brazilian banker and businessman. They married in August 2014 in Caraíva, a coastal village in Bahia. Reports said the celebration included two ceremonies, one linked to Kabbalah traditions and another Catholic service.

Ronaldo and members of his family were reportedly invited, another sign that Bia and her former husband had kept friendly ties. Her family also grew. She and Marcelo welcomed a daughter named Maria Júlia and later a son named João. João was born in São Paulo in 2017. This made Bia a mother of four children, with Maria Sophia and Maria Alice from her marriage to Ronaldo and two younger children from her later marriage.

Bia Antony’s Work as an Activist

Bia’s later work moved far beyond her connection to football. By 2024, Brazilian media described her as an activist and social organizer with a strong interest in sustainability. She has studied issues tied to race, nature, inequality, and social systems.

Her work also moved into ESG, which covers environmental, social, and governance issues. She created a course called ESG de Dentro para Fora. The program brought together speakers to discuss climate action, social responsibility, and cultural change. Some full scholarships were offered to people from vulnerable backgrounds. Antony has said that real environmental progress also requires people to think about their place in society. It is a very different public role from the one she had during Ronaldo’s playing days.

Where Is Bia Antony Now?

Bia keeps a more controlled public profile than many people linked to famous athletes. Recent coverage focuses less on her former marriage and more on sustainability, social action, motherhood, and environmental education. She has also remained active on social media, where she shares parts of her work and personal interests.

Her link to Ronaldo will always draw searches because they share two daughters and several years of family history. Still, her biography has grown well beyond the label of “Ronaldo’s ex wife.” She went from engineering studies in Brasília to charity leadership and later to climate and ESG work. By 2024, major Brazilian coverage was presenting her mainly as an activist. And in 2026, her public social media presence remained active.