Peyton Manning has been married to Ashley Thompson for over a decade and the couple has two children, a boy and a girl.
The twins, daughter Mosley Thompson Manning and son Marshall Williams Manning, are three years old.
Manning, 38, has voiced over the years how important his family is to him as he plays out his storied NFL career.
“My entire family keeps me positive and they always support me,” he told People magazine while preparing for the Super Bowl early this year.
“Yeah. Ashley and I actually had those conversations. More than one. Because, you know, you don’t want to embarrass yourself. Because, they’re signing you and people are thinking they’re getting the player they had always seen before. And so, Ashley was the one that was saying, ‘Peyton, you’ve got to try. You’ve got to try,’” Manning said.
“With this injury, nothing was happening. Nothing. For weeks. There was no progress. It was so frustrating. And really, I had a peace about it. I had a peace. Because, I had this unbelievable string of health for 20 years—since I was 15 years old as a sophomore in high school. So who was I to complain now that I’m injured? I’ve given it as good a run as I can give it. I’ve got kids now. I had a peace about it. So I didn’t feel like I had to play to get another win or a touchdown. But she’s like, ‘You’ve got to try.’ So I was glad that she pushed me to do it. Once I did it, I was going at it, and then I started seeing a little bit of light there. So, yeah, she was the one who kind of pushed me through it.”
Thompson, 39, met Manning the summer before Manning’s freshman year in college. They were introduced by the next-door neighbor of Thompson’s parents, who thought the pair would be perfect for each other.
The couple was married on St. Patrick’s Day in 2001.
Manning realizes she’s important to Manning’s career.
“The way I really help Peyton is that I don’t demand a lot of his time,” she said in a previous interview. “He’s willing to give it, but I’m not the type of person that is nagging on him. I think that helps him. He’s able to do what he needs to do and I’m very independent. I do a lot of my own things.”
She has heard that people think she is aloof. “I like to stay out of the spotlight,” she says. “People may think I am aloof, but I’m not, and I am not shy by any means, but I always let Peyton shine.”
Thompson, who graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in finance and marketing, has a lot of projects going on, including real estate development and marketing residential property.
She and Peyton also have their own charity and are involved with other charities.
