BBC presenter Alex Scott is set to grace our screens this weekend, taking up hosting duties for the FA Cup coverage.
The 40-year-old was the host for Crystal Palace’s fifth round clash with Millwall and was joined by Glenn Murray,Troy Deeney and Kelly Somers at Selhurst Park. Scott, a former Arsenal player with nearly 150 appearances under her belt, also had stints at Birmingham City and Boston Breakers.
She boasts an impressive 140 caps for England and was part of Team GB at the 2012 Olympics. Post-retirement, Scott has made a name for herself in broadcasting. She broke new ground as BBC’s first female World Cup pundit in 2018 and has since hosted shows like Final Score, Match of the Day, and the One Show.
She even showcased her dance moves on Strictly Come Dancing in 2019. However, increased public attention has led to scrutiny of her personal life.
In 2023, rumours swirled about her relationship with pop sensation Jess Glynne after they were spotted together at various events, including parties and award ceremonies. They were seen sharing a kiss during a London stroll in November that year, though Glynne remained coy about the speculation.
The singer expressed her stance on privacy in a candid Daily Mail interview, saying: “I’ve never ever confirmed that I’m in a relationship with anyone. I’ve always made a conscious effort to keep something for myself. I’ll never change that. My friendships, family, relationships, those are mine.
“Love who you love, be you and be happy. But it’s a very brutal world and outside judgement is never easy. When someone says, ‘Well, what are you? Heterosexual, bisexual, queer?’, I’m like, ‘Why does that matter to you?'”.
Subsequent to the interview, Scott acknowledged Glynne’s sentiments by sharing an image of the singer to her 1.9 million social media followers along with the caption: “Oh hello…” accompanied by affectionate emojis—a red heart and heart eyes. This interaction paved the way for the duo to openly share their relationship, marked by appearances at various events and idyllic vacations in sunny locales.
Yet despite the public display of unity, Scott has shared the complexities within her relationship with Glynne, tracing them back to her father’s impact from earlier years. In a poignant confessional with The Times, the footballer made allegations about her father Tony’s “stupidly cruel” behaviour, accusing him of physical and mental abuse in her youth and restricting emotional expression within the family — an issue which continues to affect her interpersonal dynamics even in adulthood.
Tony has refuted such claims, but Scott divulges that these lingering influences still challenge her capacity for emotional expression today. Scott shared her personal experiences, stating: “We weren’t allowed to express emotion.
“Dad didn’t allow us to hug each other or say ‘I love you’. It had a huge impact on us all. To this day, if I want to show people love, I’ll do it by taking them out to dinner and paying. I remember one of the first times Jess hugged me. I was like… [rigid]. She was like, ‘Are you not going to put your arms around me?’ But I didn’t know how to do that.
“It took us a while because we knew what we have is so special, so it has been about trying to protect that and keep that for us in such a way that it continues to be beautiful.”
In reaction to these statements, Scott’s father responded by saying: “I have no idea why she’s saying all this stuff. I was raised in a strict but loving Jamaican family and Alex should know what they are like. I taught her discipline, I did a lot to help her. Perhaps she is judging me by today’s standards, I don’t know.
“Parents were a lot tougher back then. But I was never violent, that’s just not me. I never beat Alex or anyone else in the family or did anything like that.”
It’s worth noting that before her romance with Glynne, Scott had previously opened up about falling “madly and deeply in love” with her former Arsenal and England teammate Kelly Smith. In her revealing autobiography ‘How (Not) To Be Strong’, the ex-England star Smith recounted the intimate journey of her hidden eight-year romance, reflecting: “For me, it’s like that first love story. I fell madly and deeply in love.”
She continued to express her contentment with their history together despite its end: “Yes, there’s that heartbreak and those things, but it’s a huge part of my life and I wouldn’t go back and change that. Because that feeling of love and that excitement and what it gives you, it needed to be in there.”
Since then, Smith has found domestic bliss, marrying DeAnna Dobosz in 2016, with whom she has two kids. In contrast, Scott has previously been the subject of rumours linking her to her Strictly partner Neil Jones, while she also opened up about a “disastrous” date she had with Coronation Street actor Sam Robertson.
“I never seem to have a lot of luck on dates,” as she recounted to the Sun about her outing with Robertson: “My one date in ages was going out with Sam [Robertson], who is lovely. The next morning, our pictures were all over the press because someone in the restaurant had taken a photo. It wasn’t exactly a great start!”
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Midweek Premier League is back this week, with all 20 teams in action including Nottingham Forest v Arsenal and Liverpool v Newcastle.
All 10 fixtures will be broadcast exclusively on TNT Sports, which is available for £30.99 on a rolling monthly basis via Discovery+ Premium and also includes the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, boxing and NBA.
£30.99
TNT Sports/Discovery+
