Key Takeaways
- Inés García, Lamine Yamal’s girlfriend, shared a photo of a cold sore on her nose on Instagram, saying outbreaks had returned after a symptom-free stretch.
- García recalled having outbreaks at least monthly a year earlier but did not say how she contracted the infection.
- The World Health Organization notes that HSV-1 commonly causes cold sores, often begins in childhood and can reactivate with stress, illness or sun exposure.
The girlfriend of soccer star Lamine Yamal, Spanish influencer Inés García, is sharing details online about her recurring cold sores.
On Saturday (Nov. 7), García shared a photo of a sore on her nose on Instagram, writing that she’s going through another cold sore outbreak after going a while without one. She recalled dealing with outbreaks much more frequently a year earlier, when they were happening at least once a month.
“Yesterday, I woke up with one on my nose,” she wrote.
García described the latest flare-up as an unwelcome return after a stretch without symptoms but did not specify how she contracted the infection or suggest that Yamal was responsible.
According to the World Health Organization, cold sores are a symptom of herpes simplex virus type 1 infection, or HSV-1, which is the main cause of oral herpes commonly acquired during childhood. It can spread primarily through oral contact, and an estimated 3.8 billion people under 50 worldwide have the infection.
WHO also notes that symptoms can recur after the virus becomes active again, with triggers including illness, sun exposure, and emotional stress. An outbreak alone does not establish when someone acquired the infection or who transmitted it.
García and Yamal, who plays for Barcelona’s La Liga club and the Spain national team, went public with their relationship in May following an appearance together at a celebration dinner. García has also said they first connected through social media and spent time talking before meeting in person.
