We're called the Romeo and Juliet of Alabama'! Katherine Webb discusses her football rivalry romance with A.J. McCarron

She was catapulted to instant fame after being picked up by the TV cameras cheering on her University football quarterback boyfriend A.J. McCarron earlier this year.
And former Miss Alabama Katherine Webb says that football rivalry in her home state has led to her romance with A.J. being likened to a pair of other famous star-crossed lovers.
'Football is like a religion, hence the state of Alabama having one of the greatest rivalries in all of college football between Auburn and Alabama,' Katherine - a graduate of the University of Auburn - explains to Vanity Fairin their latest issue.
'People from both teams take it so seriously. Teams have said they hate each other. It’s creating almost a civil war within one state.
'Now you can see why an Auburn grad, who is a beauty queen dating a University of Alabama star quarterback, will make national headlines. People call us the Romeo and Juliet of Alabama.
'The South is known for its hospitality, traditions, football, pageants, and food. Football is almost like a religion here,' she explained. 'People say their priorities are faith, family, and then football. People eat, breathe, and sleep it in the South. It’s a huge deal.'
Following being spotted in the crowd at the  January game, Katherine has acted as a Super Bowl anchor, posed for Sports Illustrated and will appear in ABC celebrity diving show Splash!
'It’s kind of ironic that I’m in this position that I’m in now, because I grew up as the ugly duckling,' she told the magazine. 'I was always the tallest girl in my class, and it made me have really bad posture because I wanted to seem shorter than I really was.
'It really reflected how I felt about myself. I spent most of my youth in school feeling really insecure about the way I looked because I was different.'

 

Golden couple: Katherine and her college quarterback boyfriend A.J. McCarron have been described as the 'Romeo & Juliet of Alabama'

The star has been spotted practising her diving routines daily for the celebrity show, and admitted she had been perfecting some waterproof beauty techniques.
'I use eye primer when doing my eye shadow, so that helps it stay on longer,' she revealed. 'Urban Decay has amazing primers and setting sprays that I use daily.
'I’ve tried so many different things, and that’s the only thing that works for me. That and Dior waterproof mascara. I think L’Oreal also has 24-hour gel eye-liner.'

 

Enviable figure: Katherine showed off her svelte frame in a black wetsuit during a recent practice session for Splash

 

 

Getting some practice in: Katherine has been busy in the pool to prepare for her appearance on diving show Splash!