exclusion

Charlotte Lynch is a woman of many passions – from football and teaching to acting and singing. But the defender has faced hardship on her way to the spotlight.

She’s one of the breakout stars of CBeebies’ Football Fantastics and nurtures a friendship with an Emmerdale legend, but Charlotte Lynch admits she’s sometimes felt “excluded” during her journey to the limelight.

England Lionesses Jill Scott, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead and Ollie Watkins are all suiting up for the new BBC series Football Fantastics .

Behind the big names is former Millwall and Leyton Orient player Charlotte Lynch – a talent who’s been quietly going from strength to strength.

Charlotte uses her voice to make football feel accessible to everyone, and shares joyful messages filled with hope on Instagram. “I couldn’t find a team growing up so I felt excluded,” she says. “When my brother played for a boys’ team, my mum asked the coach if I could join.

“Eventually, I played for the boys but I was the only girl. You get side-eyed and whispers. But, if it’s something you’re passionate about, you really have to push through.”

Luckily, things have changed. “I want people to know they are welcome,” she says. “You don’t have to play at an elite level but you can get involved. I’m not better than anyone. I’m a footballer and you can be one, too, if you want to!”

Her advice? “Take a risk on the things you’re passionate about – you never know where it could take you.” Now, she’s bagged her first major role on the small screen, and it feels like everything is falling into place.

READ MORE: FatFace’s ‘cool’ summer dress that ‘doesn’t crease’ and will ‘pack well for holidays’

The new children’s comedy show kicks off the BBC’s Summer of Sport and the Women’s Euros. Set in Ripon, North Yorkshire, the show follows a group of lovable children who meet every weekend for their local football group, where friendships are made and epic adventures unfold.

With cameos from household names, catchy songs and big laughs, it was a no-brainer for Charlotte. “I received the email from the casting team and instantly felt a connection,” Charlotte says. “I really wanted this job. It’s so wholesome, which I love. Everyone can watch it.”

On the pitch, she’s a versatile defender – and off it, a qualified teacher with a sharp mind for sports science and biomechanics. “I’ve been coaching since I graduated from university,” she says. Charlotte has even founded her own girls’ football teams in schools, so when the audition came around, she gave it everything.

“I wore all my football gear, I had my equipment, I had cones, and I just put everything into this audition to give me the best chance of getting the job,” she recalls. “This felt like a perfect fit.”

In Football Fantastics , Charlotte plays coach Georgie, a footie fanatic. “She’s reliable, honest. Nothing is ever too much or a problem. She has all the patience in the world and a genuine love for children,” Charlotte says. But there’s more to the character than warmth and encouragement.

She adds, “I show a few skills. There’s some comedy, a little bit of sarcasm and life lessons.” Filming in Ripon was mostly smooth sailing, although living in a hotel room for two months and facing early mornings wasn’t her cup of tea.

“I’m not a morning person,” she confesses. “But it didn’t feel like it was hard because I was so in love with what I was doing. We were all well taken care of and there were footballs on set, so I felt very comfortable.”

She also bonded with some well-known faces, including Eva Fontaine and Emmerdale star Samantha Giles. “I was able to ask them how they prepared. There was a family vibe to the show, it felt very warm and welcoming,” says Charlotte.

“Samantha was my next door neighbour in the trailers. We’d meet at the snack table and chat. She was so easy to speak to and I absorbed everything.”

But don’t be fooled – acting isn’t new to Charlotte. Her love for performing was nurtured by her mum, who was also her school head teacher.

“She was passionate about bringing out your talents and abilities,” Charlotte says. She took part in school plays and later appeared in Remi R.M. Moses’ short film Saving Art (2023) as a nurse.

“I did commercials and body doubling, so I was quite familiar with what a set looks like, but acting on TV is a longer-term thing, and these amazing actors helped me.”

She has other talents, too, as Charlotte is also a singer, performing in her church choir, at her brother’s wedding – and even releasing tracks on Spotify.

“I took a break after moving on to football but I’m going to go back to the studio,” she says. However, football remains top of her list. “I’m going to play until I’m 100,” she says. “You can play at any age – you just need a team that suits your needs.”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

Charlotte Lynch is a woman of many passions – from football and teaching to acting and singing. But the defender has faced hardship on her way to the spotlight.

She’s one of the breakout stars of CBeebies’ Football Fantastics and nurtures a friendship with an Emmerdale legend, but Charlotte Lynch admits she’s sometimes felt “excluded” during her journey to the limelight.

England Lionesses Jill Scott, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead and Ollie Watkins are all suiting up for the new BBC series Football Fantastics .

Behind the big names is former Millwall and Leyton Orient player Charlotte Lynch – a talent who’s been quietly going from strength to strength.

Charlotte uses her voice to make football feel accessible to everyone, and shares joyful messages filled with hope on Instagram. “I couldn’t find a team growing up so I felt excluded,” she says. “When my brother played for a boys’ team, my mum asked the coach if I could join.

“Eventually, I played for the boys but I was the only girl. You get side-eyed and whispers. But, if it’s something you’re passionate about, you really have to push through.”

Luckily, things have changed. “I want people to know they are welcome,” she says. “You don’t have to play at an elite level but you can get involved. I’m not better than anyone. I’m a footballer and you can be one, too, if you want to!”

Her advice? “Take a risk on the things you’re passionate about – you never know where it could take you.” Now, she’s bagged her first major role on the small screen, and it feels like everything is falling into place.

READ MORE: FatFace’s ‘cool’ summer dress that ‘doesn’t crease’ and will ‘pack well for holidays’

The new children’s comedy show kicks off the BBC’s Summer of Sport and the Women’s Euros. Set in Ripon, North Yorkshire, the show follows a group of lovable children who meet every weekend for their local football group, where friendships are made and epic adventures unfold.

With cameos from household names, catchy songs and big laughs, it was a no-brainer for Charlotte. “I received the email from the casting team and instantly felt a connection,” Charlotte says. “I really wanted this job. It’s so wholesome, which I love. Everyone can watch it.”

On the pitch, she’s a versatile defender – and off it, a qualified teacher with a sharp mind for sports science and biomechanics. “I’ve been coaching since I graduated from university,” she says. Charlotte has even founded her own girls’ football teams in schools, so when the audition came around, she gave it everything.

“I wore all my football gear, I had my equipment, I had cones, and I just put everything into this audition to give me the best chance of getting the job,” she recalls. “This felt like a perfect fit.”

In Football Fantastics , Charlotte plays coach Georgie, a footie fanatic. “She’s reliable, honest. Nothing is ever too much or a problem. She has all the patience in the world and a genuine love for children,” Charlotte says. But there’s more to the character than warmth and encouragement.

She adds, “I show a few skills. There’s some comedy, a little bit of sarcasm and life lessons.” Filming in Ripon was mostly smooth sailing, although living in a hotel room for two months and facing early mornings wasn’t her cup of tea.

“I’m not a morning person,” she confesses. “But it didn’t feel like it was hard because I was so in love with what I was doing. We were all well taken care of and there were footballs on set, so I felt very comfortable.”

She also bonded with some well-known faces, including Eva Fontaine and Emmerdale star Samantha Giles. “I was able to ask them how they prepared. There was a family vibe to the show, it felt very warm and welcoming,” says Charlotte.

“Samantha was my next door neighbour in the trailers. We’d meet at the snack table and chat. She was so easy to speak to and I absorbed everything.”

But don’t be fooled – acting isn’t new to Charlotte. Her love for performing was nurtured by her mum, who was also her school head teacher.

“She was passionate about bringing out your talents and abilities,” Charlotte says. She took part in school plays and later appeared in Remi R.M. Moses’ short film Saving Art (2023) as a nurse.

“I did commercials and body doubling, so I was quite familiar with what a set looks like, but acting on TV is a longer-term thing, and these amazing actors helped me.”

She has other talents, too, as Charlotte is also a singer, performing in her church choir, at her brother’s wedding – and even releasing tracks on Spotify.

“I took a break after moving on to football but I’m going to go back to the studio,” she says. However, football remains top of her list. “I’m going to play until I’m 100,” she says. “You can play at any age – you just need a team that suits your needs.”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

June 26 (UPI) — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, the nonprofit’s arm that covers South Carolina, can’t sue the state over its closing off of the nonprofit’s Medicaid funding because it provides abortions.

“The U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed our right to exclude abortion providers from receiving taxpayer dollars,” wrote Gov. Henry McMaster, R-S.C., in an X post Thursday.

“Seven years ago, we took a stand to protect the sanctity of life and defend South Carolina’s authority and values,” he added, “and today, we are finally victorious.”

The 6-3 decision followed the court’s ideological makeup, with the three liberal judges in dissent while the six conservative judges ruled in support.

The court’s syllabus noted 42 U.S. Code Section 1983, which allows private parties to file suit against state officials who violate their Constitutional rights. However, in the opinion of the Court, which was delivered by Justice Neil Gorsuch, he wrote that “federal statutes do not automatically confer [Section 1983]-enforceable ‘rights.'”

“This is especially true of spending-power statutes like Medicaid, where ‘the typical remedy’ for violations is federal funding termination, not private suits,” he continued.

“No court has addressed whether that Medicare provision creates [Section 1983] rights,” he later wrote.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote the dissent, and she also referred to Section 1983.

“South Carolina asks us to hollow out that provision so that the State can evade liability for violating the rights of its Medicaid recipients to choose their own doctors,” Jackson stated. “The Court abides South Carolina’s request. I would not.”

South Carolina had announced in July of 2018 that Planned Parenthood could no longer participate in the state’s Medicaid program, under a state law that prohibits the use of its own public funding for abortions.

The order further affected patients in that it had the effect of also blocking Planned Parenthood patients from receiving services such as breast exams, sexually transmitted diseases and contraception.

Planned Parenthood South Atlantic announced on its social media platform Thursday that, “Today, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that people using Medicaid in South Carolina no longer have the freedom to choose Planned Parenthood South Atlantic as their sexual and reproductive health care provider.”

“If you are a patient using Medicaid, keep your appointment,” the post continued. “We’re still here to provide you with the low or no cost care you deserve.”

The post concluded with “We’re in this with you, and we aren’t going anywhere.”