Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll saved marriage due to 'secret' bond that healed their rift

When Rory McIlroy rekindled his marriage with Erica Stoll just weeks after filing for divorce, citing that their union of seven years was "irretrievably broken" , many were left in awe of the sudden turnaround.

The question remained, how did the couple - who made a powerful statement by appearing together at the Olympic Games - go from getting divorced due to their "irretrievably broken" romance to once again having a future together? There appeared to be one key element to their lives that had brought the couple back together thanks to their shared view on the importance of the matter.

Both Rory and Erica made their three-year-old daughter Poppy their priority as they discussed ending their relationship and it was the love they had for her that made them realise they shared an unbreakable bond that made it impossible for them to go their separate ways, according to reports.

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After weeks of secret meetings at their home in Jupiter, Florida to discuss how they would go about co-parenting their three-year-old the couple found that she was the catalyst in repairing their broken relationship and agreeing to a new start as a family. The couple reportedly already had a pre-nuptial agreement that stressed the importance of sharing parental responsibility for any child they would go on to have.

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Prior to their reconciliation the couple faced a sea of rumours of infidelity after Rory submitted court documents to end their union and Erica was served divorce papers on May 13. She was given 20 days to respond with a counterclaim but reports suggested that she never responded to the paperwork, hired a lawyer, or spoke to anyone about the proceedings.

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The paperwork read: “You have 20 calendar days to file a written response to the attached petition with the clerk of this circuit court. A phone call will not protect you. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case, and your wages, money and property may thereafter be taken without further warning from the court.”

Rory was almost instantly romantically linked to CBS golf reporter Amanda Balionis after she appeared to ditch her wedding ring from her marriage to NFL quarterback Bryn Renner around the same time. The rumours were fuelled further when the pair were seen indulging in a flirtatious exchange during an interview.

However, while not addressing the rumours directly Rory appeared to allude to them being "unfortunate" after reconciling with Erica in an interview where he admitted they were looking forward to moving forward with their marriage. He told The Guardian: “There have been rumours about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate.

"Responding to each rumour is a fool's game. Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realised that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.” Rory and Erica’s lawyer Thomas J Sasser ultimately filed a “voluntary dismissal” of the divorce proceedings.