SHARING loved-up snaps, the long-suffering fiancee of Conor McGregor celebrates the person who "always keeps her entertained and makes her smile".
But how far the UFC fighter can stretch Dee Devlin’s sentiment, posted on his birthday this week, remains to be seen, as even more explosive allegations about his behaviour have emerged.
In the past few days, Conor was snapped snogging a mystery brunette on a Florida beach before enjoying a cosy dinner with her, and US rapper Azealia Banks accused him of sending her unsolicited ‘d*** pics’.
The 212 hitmaker shared the explicit photos that allegedly show the UFC brawler on X, alongside his threat “don’t be a rat cos (sic) all rats get caught”.
While Dee - who’s dated Conor for 17 years - hasn’t commented on Azealia’s claim or the fighter's holiday snaps, she’s weathered even more sensational accusations levied against him in the past.
There have been alleged affairs, punch-ups outside the ring and Conor being forced to pay £206,000 in damages to a woman who accused him of “brutally raping and battering” her.
Mum-of-four Dee, 37, has stood by Conor throughout, leading some to question what will it finally take for her to kick him to the curb?
Relationships expert Jo Hemmings tells The Sun the post to mark his 37th birthday may give insight - suggesting that far from disapproving of his behaviour, she’s “addicted to his chaos”.
However, she warns there will be a “tipping point” when she’s “reluctantly forced to leave” and it may be the close pals of Conor - who she dubs a “bloody car crash” - that play a big part in it.
Jo notes that instead of writing something herself, amid the kissing scandal, Dee shared a fanpage post that read: "Happy Birthday to the person who always keeps Dee entertained and makes her smile."
“What’s interesting is it’s third person, she reposted probably one of the nicer things someone could say about Conor, instead of ‘what the hell is she doing with this fool,’” she says.
“To call what she’s gone through ‘entertainment’ suggests she enjoys there never being a dull moment with him and that she feeds off there being jeopardy every step of the way.
“She doesn’t want the dull and predictable, she’s addicted, almost addicted to him. But it’s getting to the point where her hand is being forced and she could be coerced into leaving him.”
'Breaking point'
The recent photos of Conor kissing a bikini-clad woman in Forte Lauderdale, published by The Sun on Sunday, follow a string of alleged affairs over the years.
But unlike previous rumoured trespasses there is now photographic proof, which leads Jo to warn “watch this space” suspecting it could lead Dee to “breaking point”.
“The problem is these things tend to take on a force of their own,” she tells us. “Because there is a picture, not rumour or speculation, he will be scrutinised to the point of no return.
“Dee may be pushed into a situation, reluctantly, where it’s no longer good for her mental health to stay with him. The more it gathers pace, the more likely her hand will be forced.
“Family, friends and people close to her will become more persuasive in not allowing her to let the situation carry on.
“She’s looking absolutely downtrodden, foolish and weak and could easily be tipped over the edge, not only to protect herself but to protect her children.
I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me
Conor McGregor
“It must be horrible to see their dad behaving like that and people talking about him unpleasantly online.
"She may leave him to protect her family because clearly family has been the most important thing to her throughout all of this.”
'Serious conversations'
Conor has relished living a party boy lifestyle for many years - often being seen with glamorous, barely-clothed women in nightclubs, in private booths with ever-flowing bottles of champagne.
Among them was an alleged 2017 fling with Terri Murray, 26, who was seen in extremely cosy snaps with the star including with their bodies pressed together in a bathroom.
She claimed they romped in a Liverpool hotel after the Grand National and the affair produced a love child. A paternity test later revealed he wasn’t the father.
There has been speculation about other flings, with the former cage fighter regularly photographed with beautiful women, many of whom are draped over him and staring adoringly at him.
His alleged trespasses are so renowned that fellow fighter Jake Paul called him out, saying: “You're more actively cheating on your wife than you are in the Octagon.”
Often Conor, who’s worth a reported £150million, has ignored claims and rumours but may now find it more tricky, considering this recent photo and the claims of Azealia Banks, who said she was "sexually harassed."
Jo suspects there will have been a “serious conversation” after the Florida snaps emerged but believes it will have focussed on “his discretion, not his actual behaviour”.
“I think she’s learned to accept he will never change but will be saying, ‘For Christ sake do it in a non-public pace or anywhere photographers or others could take sneaky photographs,” she tells us.
“What we see is a badly behaved man. He’s making a fool of her and a fool of himself, she’s his bedrock, showing extraordinary strength to tolerate it.
“It’s more than loyalty, it’s not weakness, it’s not about naivety, and doesn’t even feel logical but behind the scenes there’s probably a part of him that has remorse and vulnerability.”
'Dysfunctional stability'
Dee has stood by him throughout - even last year, when he was found liable for £206,000 in damages after a jury in a civil case found he had assaulted Nikita Hand in a Dublin penthouse back in 2018.
The woman, who accused him of rape, claimed she was left with heavy bruising and said she had been choked during the “brutal” attack that later left her “afraid for my life”.
Yet, in a stand of support that few could manage after such a verdict, Dee online wrote: “I love him, I trust him and I BELIEVE HIM.”
Conor, who still maintains his innocence despite recently dropping his court appeal, previously admitted that he had “made mistakes” after the court decision last year.
"I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me… I can’t go back and I will move forward,” he wrote.
Jo believes Dee has been so forgiving due to their history together, believing her “extremely strong loyalty overrides his behaviour.”
One day we will read about them splitting up and he will be a bloody car crash without her. He really needs her
Jo Hemmings
“Whenever there is chaos or scandal and she thinks about walking away, it’s much more than being about him. It’s about the stability of their family unit, the dysfunctional stability,” she says.
Jo says there will be a “very deep-seated emotional connection” between them due to them spending 17 years together and from that it may be too hard to throw away that investment of time.
Bad boy meets 'good girl'
The couple first met at a nightclub back in 2008, when Conor was a 19-year-old aspiring MMA fighter and Dee, 20, was working as a promotional model and waitress.
He recalled being besotted because she “seemed like a nice girl and I like good girls” and later would credit her for his career.
Dee supported Conor emotionally and financially while he tried to back it as a UFC fighter and was receiving just £159-a-week in unemployment benefits.
Moments like this were a motivating force for the Irishman, who says: “I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for her. I’m doing all of this for her.”
It would lead to him becoming the first UFC champion to hold two weight class belts simultaneously, earning him a whopping £150million empire in the process.
"She stuck by me when I had essentially absolutely nothing," Conor said, adding that he now loved being able to "spoil her... give her everything she's ever wanted”.
Jo says due to getting together “long before all the fame and fortune”, Dee is in love with “the guy behind the persona” and may feel unable to leave for now.
“In private he could be very intimate, gentle, close. They’re obviously really good friends, they wouldn’t be together so long if not,” she says.
“Maybe it’s a ‘better the devil you know’ situation, she may be thinking 'what does the future hold for me and our four kids? Life is better with him than not knowing what the future holds.’
“She has built this family, endured regular public scrutiny in the past and accepted he won’t change, so dismantling life by leaving him is too high a price to pay.”
'Will never change'
Dee, who quit her job as a businesswoman to work for Conor, is said to be “brains behind his brand” and is the “anchor in his life” that prevents him going further off the rails.
The couple, who have four children together, got engaged in 2020 but are yet to set a date for their nuptials - and his remarks around the big day didn’t sound overly enthusiastic.
Conor described Dee as “my long-time lady” and said “hopefully we get the marriage done”, which Jo suspects means he sees it as “just a bit of paper”.
She tells us: “He’s saying, ‘This is not going to change me, let’s just get it over and done with and get back to how life was before’. Any expectation that marriage would change his behaviour is misguided.”
More concerningly, Jo suspects Conor’s behaviour could get worse when he reaches his ‘midlife crisis’ as it could see him “trying to pull more young women, fearing he’s losing his appeal to younger male celebrities”.
The TV psychologist, who was a This Morning regular, doesn’t have high hopes for the longevity of the relationship believing he’s pushing Dee’s limits to the brink.
“One day we will read about them splitting up and he will be a bloody car crash without her. He really needs her,” she says.
“Without this anchor - Dee and the family behind him - I’d be really worried about what happens to him next.
“It’s self-sabotage, he will repeat the same behaviours over and over again and will be thoroughly miserable. He’s unstoppable and clearly troubled.
“For now I believe she is staying because she fears the wreck he will be without her and is staying to care for him. But there is a tipping point and I feel it’s edging that way.”
