The ex-girlfriend of Manchester United winger Antony, Gabriela Cavallin, has spoken out publicly for the first time following allegations of domestic abuse earlier this month.
Cavallin, 22, has since gone on national television to discuss the ongoing investigation, providing extended details surrounding the multiple instances alleged and other information not previously mentioned in the initial reports.
Speaking on Brazil’s second-biggest news show, Report TV, she equated living with Antony to being in “private captivity”, describing him as “an extremely aggressive and impatient person”.
Antony dos Santos’ ex-girlfriend, Gabriela Cavallin, speaks out publicly about her alleged abuse for the first time on Brazilian TV.
As the translation of the interview reads, the DJ and influencer explained how the United player abused her whilst she was roughly three months pregnant, not allowing her to leave the house and even apparently threatening that their unborn son would “die” if they broke up.
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Describing the first case of abuse last year, she said: “He held me by both arms, threw me on the bed and fell on top of me, causing my silicone prosthesis [breast implants] to dislocate. At the time, it gave me such a shortness of breath that it looked like I was going to die.”
Cavallin says she went on to require surgery and a total of 40 stitches to correct the displacement, adding that in one instance, “He threw water on me, started kicking me, grabbed me by the hair, headbutted and left me with a cut”.
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She also detailed more of the controlling behaviour, explaining how the former Ajax man broke her suitcase and mobile phone, as well as taking her suitcase and passport to stop her from leaving. As she puts it, she was “a prisoner from 10pm to almost 3.30am” and not even his mother could stop it.
🗣️ Antony's ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin: “He attacked me, shoved me against the door (of the car). There, I said to myself: 'It's over'.
Cavallin alleges that Antony then threatened that she, himself, and their son would "die" if she ended their relationship.
As noted in the initial police report, there was one instance when Antony’s mother supposedly called his physio to ask for help but to no avail, with Cavallin insisting that “no one could control it.” Report TV even showed a police report from another woman filing claims of violence against the Brazil international.
DJ Gabi, as she is known to her fans, said it got to the point where she just “wanted to get out of there” but that her former partner warned she wouldn’t be able to leave until she erased all evidence of the abuse that she ultimately went on to submit to local police.
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It is worth noting that there have been some inconsistencies surrounding the reporting of the timeline of events, but Cavallin says she “do whatever it takes” to get justice, insisting, “I’ll go to England to report the assault, failure to help, false imprisonment, psychological abuse — everything he did to me.”
She cut a clearly emotional figure throughout, tearing up on a number of occasions and revealing how she has been left with both “physical and psychological trauma” as a result of his treatment.
The young artist and social media personality concluded her interview with a heartbreaking line, stating: “He was my best dream and then he became my worst nightmare. He got both”.
As yet, neither Antony himself nor United are yet to issue a response to the claims, but they show no signs of going away.
You can see the full interview with subtitles down below:
Featured Image — RecordTV (via Twitter)/Antony Santos (via Instagram)
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Parklife pumps more than £155,000 back into Greater Manchester community projects
Danny Jones
Parklife is once again proving why it’s such an important event for Greater Manchester, not just in terms of music and culture, but through the money it pumps back into the community through grassroots projects.
The annual music festival at Heaton Park raises significant funds for local initiatives with each edition via the official Parklife Community Fund.
Partnered with the Manchester, Bury, and Rochdale councils, the finances generated through those who attend not only Parklife but also other concerts held at the outdoor venue, such as the recent Oasis shows, help local groups that make a positive, tangible difference in their neighbourhoods.
This year alone, the total includes £55,000 raised from guest list donations by festival attendees, as well as a further £100k generated from other events held in Heaton Park, making 2025 one of, if not the biggest, years for donations to date.
Distributed by the City Council and the local authorities in Bury and Rochdale throughout the respective boroughs, the aim is not only to give back but to enhance local life, through everything from important youth programmes to community wellbeing and improvement schemes.
Launched back in 2017, the festival fund is approaching nearly half a million pounds raised on behalf of local causes, strengthening its connection with the nearby communities surrounding its host site.
The region’s vast and stunning green space is a huge tourist attraction in itself, meaning literal grassroots causes like the woodland management group are vital to maintaining that beauty and status.
Other projects include an astronomy group, as well as fitness drives like ‘RockFit’ (seen above), which now meets at Heaton Park regularly to promote exercise for both physical and mental health.
It’s also worth noting that the fund covers surrounding areas like Higher Blackley and Crumpsall; Sedgley, Holyrood, St Mary’s and even South Middleton.
You can see more examples of the charitable community work in action down below.
Credit: Supplied
Sam Kandel, founder of Parklife Festival, said of the fund: “Parklife is proud to call Heaton Park home, and it’s really important to us that the festival has a lasting, positive impact on the local community.
“The Community Fund is our way of saying thank you to residents and supporting the brilliant grassroots projects that make Manchester, Bury, and Rochdale such special places to live.”
Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon (Exec Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods) added: “Parklife brings people from Manchester and beyond to our wonderful Heaton Park, and it is right that the communities living close by benefit from the event through reinvestment in local initiatives that will leave a legacy for all.
“The Parklife community fund means that local communities choose what’s important to them and they have the opportunity to bid for funds to invest in projects that enhance local amenities, strengthen community connections and wellbeing for the benefit of everyone.”
Those looking to benefit from the fund can apply online now and you can find out more information by contacting the relevant councils’ neighbourhood pages.
Work finally begins on Greater Manchester’s new ‘innovation hub’ in Atom Valley creating 20,000 jobs
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… work has finally begun on the first major development in Atom Valley.
If you’re not familiar with Atom Valley, this new project is set to be a unique innovation ‘cluster’ – plans of which were approved by local leaders all the way back in summer 2022 – with the potential to create up to 20,000 new jobs in Greater Manchester once it’s complete.
Greater Manchester wants Atom Valley to become a ‘springboard’ for new and emerging companies and researchers, giving them the support and the opportunities they need to trial and commercialise their innovations right here in our region.
The new development which ground has now been broken on is a Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Centre (SMMC) – which is set to become a thriving hub of innovation.
Today is a big day for GM.
We break ground on a new research centre at Atom Valley – our emerging world-class cluster in advanced materials and manufacturing.
Here, start-ups and emerging companies will be able to pioneer new technologies and scale up their ambitions, all while creating jobs and driving growth across the region in the process.
Located next to the Kingsway Business Park in Rochdale, it will offer 30,000 sq ft of new laboratory space, workshops, and design studios, as well as a lecture theatre, meeting rooms, office space, and flexible workspace for start-ups.
With the ‘right’ support, local leaders say the SMMC will also be a vital link between Atom Valley and the Oxford Road Corridor, ultimately forging a pathway for new companies and projects to expand from the city centre out into the wider city region.
Work has finally begun on Greater Manchester’s new ‘innovation hub’ in Atom Valley / Credit: DLA Architecture
Mayor Andy Burnham says this is the ‘most ambitious development’ in Atom Valley so far
“It will help unleash the untapped potential of the world-leading research taking place across our city region, bridging that crucial gap from invention to bringing those new innovations to the market,” he explained. “And it will create a new hi-tech corridor from the out to the north of Greater Manchester, creating jobs and new opportunities for start-ups to scale up their ambitions.
“This is integrated, well-connected development in action, and a clear sign of our mission to spread the benefits of growth right across our city region.”