Lioness

Karen Carney is one of the famous faces trying her luck on the dance floor on this year’s edition of Strictly but she is best known for being one of England’s Lionesses

Karen Carney is one of the famous faces trying her luck on the dance floor on this year’s edition of Strictly Come Dancing. She will be joining the likes of Love Island winner Dani Dyer, Geordie Shore legend Vicky Pattison and Neighbours star Stefan Dennis, amongst a host of others

But life wasn’t always so easy for the Lioness, 38, who became the second most capped England player with 144 appearances before the record was beaten by I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! star Jill Scott. Since her days on the pitch, she has carved out a successful presenting career and has been seen on TNT Sports, and Sky Sports, covering major sporting events.

However, the sports star was born in Birmingham and once shunned the idea of riches that a career in sports can bring. She said: “I’m from Birmingham: my mum works at Sainsbury’s, my dad is a fire-fighter. We keep it real. We know who we are. I don’t need a Bentley; I don’t need a Rolex!”

What’s more, Karen did have to put up with some bullying when she was at school in a time when girls weren’t encouraged to play football. She previously told Startups Magazine: ” I think when I first started playing, I was the only girl and got bullied for it. It wasn’t really the norm to play, as historically it’s for boys and men. }”

So, at 11 when I told my mum “I’m going to play for England,” we didn’t know that there was an England women’s team at the time or if there was a team where I could try and play. All I knew is I just fell in love with it.”

Karen enjoyed a record-breaking career on the pitch, but confirmed earlier this year that she had in fact retired for good. The sports star, who was nicknamed ‘the wizard’ during play, held an Ask Me Anything session on social media and confirmed: “It has meant retiring the boots completely. I have come out and played Soccer Aid the last couple of times, but unfortunately, I don’t really play anymore.”

Despite this, Karen is still a keen advocate for health and fitness, and nearly seven years ago, she adopted a vegan diet. She previously explained: “When I turned vegan in 2018 and noticed the positive change immediately both in my health and performance on the football pitch when playing for both club and country.

“The perception of the plant-based diet is that you will miss out on certain foods, but thankfully, Violife means I never miss out on my cheesy favourites like pizza and cheese on toast!”

Prior to breaking into football, Karen attended Loughborough University in Sports and Exercise Science, where she studied Physiology and Sports Psychology. With regards to her personal life, she is notoriously private and has never disclosed whether she has a special someone on the scene.

It’s not yet known who Karen’s Strictly partner will be, but the Lioness star has been given odds of 12/1 when it comes to winning the whole competition and walking off with the Glitterball Trophy.

Love Island winner Dani Dyer has 4/1 odds. But, as it stands, Ladbrokes’ favourite to win is Emmerdale star Lewis Cope, who was drafted in as a last-minute replacement for Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn, when he withdrew before rehearsals started. His odds of winning the whole series currently stand at 3/1.

On joining the show, Karen said: ““It really is a dream come true to be a part of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing line up. I’m such a huge fan of the show and I can’t believe I’m finally getting the chance to take part. I’m so excited to meet everyone and get dancing!”

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Chloe Kelly has spoken out about what she would like to do following her major football victory and could be following in the footsteps of former Lioness Jill Scott

Chloe Kelly has revealed her hopes for a big career move following her England win. The Lioness, 27, brought it home for England when she scored the winning spot-kick following two huge saves from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, in what became a historic victory for the women’s national team.

The sports star made an appearance on ITV’s This Morning on Thursday where she joined hosts Dermot O’Leary and Rochelle Humes to discuss her achievements and career so far, alongside a group of aspiring young footballers. When one of the children asked Chloe what she would be doing if she was not a footballer, she admitted that she has a wish to carve our a career in the world of sports media. At first, she said: “If I weren’t a footballer, what would by job me? I’m not too sure, I’ve never really thought about it,” before adding: “I enjoy the media, so hopefully I could be interviewing another footballer maybe? And I’d definitely be in the stadium with the fans.”

If Chloe were to start up a career in the media, she would be following in the foosteps of Jill Scott, who captained England in 2021, and then went onto win I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here the following year. She is now a regular pundit across both men and women’s matches, captains the team on sports-comedy series A League Of Their Own, and has occasionally appeared as a panellist on Loose Women. It comes just days after Jill herself delivered her verdict on the England team shortly before they enjoyed their Euros success.

READ MORE: Chloe Kelly issues apology for Lionesses victory parade incident – ‘Emotions got better of me’READ MORE: England’s Euro 2025 winners to lose major chunk of prize money after return home

Meanwhile, Chloe was also asked about how she manages to stay so calm during intense moments in the match, and she admitted: “I’m more nervous sitting here than taking a penalty, actually! I stay calm by just sticking to my process.

She added: “I train that process a lot. I breathe, I take my breath and I either score or I miss, and that’s the worst that can happen. That’s the way I see it, it’s just me against the goalkeeper so I’m very relaxed.”

Establishing herself as an England legend in the showpiece event, Chloe confidently dispatched her penalty past Spain’s Cata Coll to secure victory. BBC Sports commentator Vicki Sparks captured the moment perfectly: “This is it, this is the moment for Chloe Kelly. Can she be England’s heroine? Chloe Kelly… yes she can!”

Kelly rose to the occasion magnificently, rescuing England from perilous situations on three separate occasions. Teaming up with emerging talent Michelle Agyemang, the duo rekindled the country’s belief in achieving a magnificent triumph that delivered a “proper English performance” culminating in continental success.

Following the trophy presentation, Chloe was heard declaring: “The first time was so nice, we had to do it twice.” Yet beyond the football field, she remains remarkably private about her personal affairs. Having wed her long-time partner last year, early 2025 almost witnessed her departure from professional football entirely.

Kelly was joined by her England team-mates for a victory parade down The Mall in London on Tuesday. The team had the Euro 2025 trophy with them on an open-top as they were greeted by an estimated 65,000 supporters in central London. Manager Sarina Wiegman and captain Leah Williamson then led the squad up onto a stage outside Buckingham Palace, where they were interviewed by Alex Scott. There were some heartwarming moments, including Wiegman doing a duet with Burna Boy and Williamson holding back tears as she spoke.

But there was also a moment where Kelly – the scorer of England’s winning penalty against Spain on Sunday – turned the air blue. She said: “It feels so good to stand side by side with each and every one of these girls.

“It’s so f****** special. It’s incredible to stand here today with a winners’ medal around our necks and I’m so proud to be English.”

It wasn’t the first time that the Arsenal forward had been caught on camera swearing, having dropped the same word after picking up her winners’ medal from Prince William in Basel. This time she quickly took to social media, writing: “Ooops. Emotions got the better of me. Sorry for the F bomb. Love, CK x.”

Lioness fans tuning in to the procession following the historic win were quick to praise manager Sarina Wiegman’s ‘wholesome’ reaction to parade’s surprise musical guest when she appeared alongside him on stage

Lioness fans were quick to praise Sarina Wiegman’s ‘wholesome’ reaction to parade’s surprise musical guest during the procession following the historic win.

England fans erupted with joy across the country as the team defended their title in a penalty shootout win in the final in Basel, Switzerland, on Sunday and as celebrations really got underway on Tuesday across the capital, the lauded manager made it up on stage with her team. In the special broadcast, which was hosted by Alex Scott, singer Burna Boy made a surprise appearance and was welcomed onto stage by the TV host after being revealed to be Sarina’s favourite artist.

Alex had been chatting to Sarina when she reminded her that last time they spoke following the Euros win in 2022, she had refused to dance because it was the wrong music. This time, however, organisers had managed to Burna Boy to come to the event and give a rendition of his song For My Hand, which originally featured Ed Sheeran.

This time, however, he was joined by none other than Sarina herself and sports fans flooded social media with their reaction to the moment, even though the whole collaboration was not something they saw on the cards. One wrote: “@burnaboyand Sarina Wiegman dancing at the #Lionesses homecoming was not something I had expected to see today So wholesome!! Oluwa Burna,” and another said: “Sarina Wiegman dancing up there on that stage is just brilliant.”

One praised Sarina for knowing all the words to the 2022 hit single, and another proclaimed: “This is what you call a manager who can have fun, let her hair down and party like her team! Sarina is the one!” whilst a fifth fanatic joked that the Dutch native is ‘never leaving’ the UK.

The crowds cheered as Sarina partied along on stage, and she also explained how she had managed to ‘stay calm’ on the journey to the victory as she joked: “It was chaos. I had hoped for a little less chaos. But they didn’t keep their to promise to finish things quicker! But yeah, as we always have a plan, and we try to execute that, and the players on the pitch, we just kept having hope all the time and belief. And they just showed up when it was really necessary and urgent.”

“I think you start with talent, there’s a huge talent pool within this team, also, what we want to do is play to our strengths but I think that the bonding in this team this time…in 2022, we had great bonding but it’s made the absolute difference now, that everyone was ready to step up and support each other and it was just amazing to be a part of.”

Just two days ago, Chloe Kelly scored the winning spot-kick following two huge saves from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, sending supporters into raptures. The King said the team had the royal family ’s “warmest appreciation and admiration” following their victory, adding: “The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can.”

An open-top bus procession took place along The Mall, culminating with a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace starting at approximately 12:30pm. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hailed the team’s triumph, saying: “The Lionesses have once again captured the hearts of the nation. Their victory is not only a remarkable sporting achievement, but an inspiration for young people across the country.

“It stands as a testament to the determination, resilience and unity that define this outstanding team.” Despite the historic achievement, it is understood Downing Street has no plans for a bank holiday to mark the Lionesses’ triumph.

Supporters stood on tables, waved flags, threw drinks in the air and excitedly hugged each other as England claimed victory, while the Prince of Wales and Sir Keir watched on from the stands in Basel. Alessia Russo gave the Lionesses hope of retaining their Euros title with her second-half equaliser after Mariona Caldentey netted the opener for Spain in the 25th minute.

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