Who is Jill Scott in I'm A Celebrity 2022?

Lioness Jill Scott will be swapping football boots for something a little sturdier as she starts her stint in the I'm A Celebrity jungle. The football star is taking part in this year's series of the ITV reality show alongside famous faces such as radio DJ Chris Moyles and pop sensation Boy George.

The 35-year-old midfielder arrived in Australia at Brisbane airport on October 27 and the show confirmed shortly after that she was one of this year's contestants. She admitted she's not heading into the jungle to be crowned this year's Queen, but simply wants "to have a good time".

Jill became a household name this year when the England women's football team claimed victory at the UEFA Women's Euros. Shortly after, Jill followed in the footsteps of teammate Ellen White and announced she would be retiring from the game after a colourful career lasting nearly 20 years.

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Originally from Sunderland, Jill started her football career with her home city's women's team before joining Everton Ladies in 2006. She stayed with the team for seven years before signing a two-year deal with Manchester City.

Jill has won every domestic honour during her football career, including the Women’s Super League title with City in 2017. In 2020, she signed a coaching deal with the club and went on to play on loan for Everton and Aston Villa before her retirement.

Playing for England, Jill earned 161 senior international caps after making her debut in 2006 and scored 27 goals for the national side. Other career highlights include scoring England’s winner against Holland in the Euro 2009 semi-finals and also netting in City’s 2017 Women’s FA Cup final victory over Birmingham.

She also represented Great Britain at the 2012 and delayed 2020 Olympics. In England’s triumphant Euro 2022 campaign, Jill made four substitute appearances, including in the final against Germany.

She also went viral on social media during the tournament after a slo-mo video of her swearing at a Germany player was shared widely. Speaking about the moment during an interview with the Guardian, she said: “I don’t like to swear usually but I did in that moment. She had my leg trapped between hers and she wouldn’t give us my leg back while the game’s going on. She also said something to me and I just reacted."

Away from football, Jill co-owns the popular Boxx2Boxx coffee shop on Palatine Road in Northenden, Manchester, which she opened up with her fiancé Shelly Unitt last year. Just five days after the Lionesses' victory at the Euros, Jill was back behind the counter serving coffee. Pictures on social media showed her with a dustpan and brush getting stuck into her shift, while she also posed with young fans and let them hold her medal.

Speaking ahead of her appearance on I'm A Celebrity, Jill said she hopes England will still be in the Fifa World Cup when she comes out of the jungle. She will be in Australia for several weeks while the mens team competes in Qatar.

“I am going to find it weird not being able to know how the men are getting on in the tournament," she said. “Hopefully they will still be in the tournament when I come out of the jungle.”

She also joked that Geordie hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly might not like her background playing at Sunderland. “I haven’t met Ant and Dec before but they are Newcastle (football) fans, and I am Sunderland,” she said. “I don’t know if it will go down too well.”

Asked how the other Lionesses will feel about her appearing on the reality show, she said: “I think my England teammates will be shocked when they find out. But I think they will say if there is a show for Jill to go on, because of the team side, then this is the one to do."

She added: "People know me for my football and they see stupid videos of us, so this will be nice for people to get to know a bit more about my personality.”

Other stars joining Jill in the jungle include Coronation Street’s Sue Cleaver, Hollyoaks’ Owen Warner, TV presenter and property expert Scarlette Douglas, former England rugby player Mike Tindall, Loose Women star Charlene White and reality TV star Olivia Attwood.

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