- Polite family girl from Cardiff happy with just a glass of wine on the sofa
- Friends and relatives say fame will not change Emma Rhys Jones
- She is definitely not a WAG, but a 'well rounded woman', says gran
- Family most important thing to the polite woman with fiery temperament
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With a contract worth £256,000 a week, a typical WAG would probably already be picking out the latest Louis Vuitton shoes to add to her collection.
But Emma Rhys Jones, the long-term partner of Gareth Bale - who today became the most expensive footballer on the planet - is more than happy to just put on her pajamas and curl up on the sofa with a nice glass of wine.
Friends and relatives of the polite family girl from Cardiff have insisted living life under the gaze of the media spotlight will definitely not change the 23-year-old.
Stunning: Emma Rhys Jones, pictured in Milan today, hides a fiery Italian temperament behind a polite girl next door image
Happy days: Emma holds baby Alba today as Bale, right, finally signed the contract that makes him the world's most expensive player
Grounded: Fame is unlkely to change either Bale or Emma, who both prefer nights in to going out partying
Beaming: A clearly delighted Emma holds an unimpressed Alba, while Gareth chats to Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez (right). Left, Bale's sister Vicky
Young love: The couple have been together ever since they first started dating 10 years ago when they first met at Whitchurch High School in Cardiff
Homespun girl: Rather than have her daughter, Alba, in London, Emma returned to her native Cardiff for the birth
Emma's neighbour Theresa Thomas said: 'Celebrity won't change Emma, no way. She and Gareth are just normal people that something extraordinary has happened to.'
Theresa remembered Emma and her brothers and sisters growing up.
She said: 'They were all such helpful friendly kids, nothing was too much trouble.
'I've never known them to be yelled at or throw wild parties. Their parents are very lucky.
'Emma's such a lovely girl. I've seen her and Gareth visiting many times.
'Their daughter, Alba, is the most gorgeous baby. Emma says she's a really good girl too - she even sleeps well.
'Gareth is not a show-off, even now that he is doing so well. He always helps her get the car seat out the car and is quite protective of his family.
'I don't think fame will affect them at all. They are a lovely, normal couple with fantastic supportive families. It just wouldn't be in their nature.'
Happy families: Both Emma Rhys Jones and her superstar partner are prefer the quiet life to the glitz and glamour of life in the fast lane
Private: The quiet couple are well-known for shying away from the spotlight, preferring nights in as a family
Quiet life: Fame will not change Emma Rhys Jones, say friends of the 'family woman'. Pictured here with daughter, Alba Violet Bale
Childhood sweethearts: The couple first met when they were both pupil's at Cardiff's Whitchurch High School
Emma's grandmother Grace Rhys-Jones insisted she is definitely not a WAG.
'She's a well rounded young woman. We are so proud of her,' she said.
'She has fiery Italian roots - I'm sure if the opportunity to move to Italy ever came up Emma wouldn't say no.'
Emma is the second eldest of five children. She has one older sister, Charlotte, 24, a younger sister, Katie, 20, and twin brothers Robert and John, 19.
She first started dating Gareth when they were pupils together at Whitchurch High School in Cardiff when they were teenagers.
Bale's famous love heart celebration when he scores a goal is dedicated to Emma.
Dedicated: Bale's famous love heart celebration that he makes after he scores a goal is a tribute to Emma
Their family life is said to be extremely close and Emma can often be found visiting her sisters, snuggled up in her pajamas or sharing a bottle of wine.
Katie describes Emma as her 'best friend and beautiful big sister' and organised a lavish baby shower in June last year when Emma was expecting her first child.
Then when baby Alba Violet Bale was born in October 2012, Emma returned home to Cardiff and gave birth at The University Hospital of Wales.
But friends say she is not interested in nightclubs or the celebrity life-style like the wives and girlfriends of other soccer stars.
A friend of the pair said: 'Gareth is a homebird and Emma's the same - they like a quiet life and their family is the most important thing to them.
'Emma is from a big family - they are close and supportive, she doesn't like being too far away from them.'
William Tout, 83, watched Bale grow up from the house next door.
He said: 'I saw Emma around a fair bit when Gareth was a teen.
'She's a really lovely girl. They'd both say a little hello in passing. Same with Gareth's parents. They're great neighbours. Really friendly people.'
Flanked: Gareth Bale's friend Ellis Randall, mother-in-law Suzanne McMurray, wife Emma Rhys-Jones, daughter Alba (in arms), father Frank, Gareth Bale, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, mother Deborah, sister Vicky, niece Georgia (down), nephew Max (in arms), brother-in-law Richard Baldock and grandfather Dennis Pike
New era: Bale poses for the camera alongside Perez holding his new number 11 shirt
It is this deep connection to family life that had critics speculating Bale would not leave north London club Tottenham Hotspur and its close proximity to the M4 for his bi-weekly trips over the Severn Bridge.
But now that the deal is finalised - while other footballing stars use their down time to jet set and mingle with A-listers around the world - Emma and Gareth will no doubt use their holidays to return to the open arms of home.
In 2011 Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said: 'I gave Gareth four days off last week because I thought he needed a break, and I told him to go abroad.
'But he went to Cardiff to his mum's. That’s him all over.'
This commitment to their roots has been a massive factor in maintaining their relationship.
After almost ten years together it is rumoured that the pair are engaged, but Bale notoriously keeps his private life a closely guarded secret.
The closest he's ever come to revealing a snippet was in 2011 when he told a reporter: 'I like looking after my family.'
Humble beginnings: Gareth Bale's parents modest 3 bedroom semi detached house (left) in Cardiff, where the superstar in the making grew up
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