Great Company with Jamie Laing

Episode: Jill Scott: Bullied For Being The Only Girl On The Football Pitch & Why It Made Me Determined Not To Quit
Date: November 5, 2025
Guest: Jill Scott
Host: Jamie Laing

Episode Overview

This episode features England football legend Jill Scott, known for her toughness and wit on and off the pitch. Jamie and Jill delve into her experiences with bullying as a young girl in football, her competitive drive, overcoming imposter syndrome, and how resilience propelled her to 161 caps for England. The conversation, rich with humor and honesty, touches on teamwork, leadership, mental health, and the importance of being true to oneself.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Early Experiences: Bullying, Resilience, and Loving Football

• Jill’s Early Struggles

  • As the only girl on boys’ teams, Jill faced abuse from both other children and parents.
    • "Comments from the side would be going hard on her." — Jamie Laing [00:06]
    • “You had a pretty tricky time with not only other kids, but also other parents… shouting things like ‘break her legs’.” — Jamie Laing [22:16]
  • Jill recalls, “I remember being like, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.” [00:10, 22:31]
  • She kept her struggles to herself, internalizing pain instead of sharing with family.

• Resilience Born from Adversity

  • Despite tears and setbacks, Jill never stopped going to training: “There was nothing that was going to stop us from playing. And I think that was when resilience was kind of building inside of us.” [22:46]
  • On never giving up: “I always went back to training on a Tuesday. It took us a long time to get there… but I never told anybody about it…I became a little bit immune to comments.” [22:46]

Pride, Career Milestones & Retirement

• Reaching 161 England Caps and the Emotional Journey

  • Jill expresses pride in her achievements, especially now that she’s retired and can reflect:
    • “When I was a young girl who just fell in love with the game… I never thought I'd play one game for England, never mind 161.” [08:24]
  • Jamie asks if she’s truly proud:
    • “With that one, I am…I can probably finally sit here now and say, and I am proud that I did that.” [09:03]

• Transitioning Out of Playing

  • Retirement was made easier after winning at Wembley:
    • “It was the perfect ending for me, the fact that we got that gold medal at Wembley…just nice to give that door a little push and be like, right, it's time for the next chapter.” [10:01]
  • On aging out of the squad: “I felt like the game was just starting to get away from me a little bit…my head wanted to do something that my body probably couldn't anymore.” [10:44]

Handling Pressure, Failure, and Imposter Syndrome

• Nerves and Coping Mechanisms

  • Jill finds public speeches (not football) most nerve-racking:
    • “I was actually at an awards evening...found that really nerve wracking.” [06:15]
  • Her technique for handling nerves in football:
    • “I'd think of three things that I was confident I could bring to the team…then I wouldn't get overwhelmed.” [06:59]
    • Jamie to listeners: “If they're in a situation, you think of three things that you know you can bring to the table.” [07:43]

• Owning Mistakes and Failure

  • Jill recalls being sent off twice, once in a cup final and once for a headbutt, both of which stung:
    • “It's a long walk down the tunnel and back to the changing rooms…That was a moment where I was like, I've let the team down here.” [15:53]
    • “That was my other sending off…That's not too bad, is it?” [17:08]

• Imposter Syndrome in Elite Settings

  • Despite her accolades, Jill admits: “I still get that now.” [44:44]
  • Jamie relates: “Yeah, I definitely do…even though I kind of know what I'm talking about, I'd still go…because I feel like sometimes I'm just guessing, which I think a lot of us are doing.” [44:46–45:08]
  • Sitting alongside legends: “There was just a moment where I was like, wow, I'm sat with these absolute legends of the game…I think you question, you go, God, should I even be here?” [45:10]

Mental Health, Vulnerability, and Team Support

• Discussing Feelings: Then vs. Now

  • Jill reflects on the culture of not sharing emotions:
    • “We were always told to be brave, be strong, wear your face the right way… Whereas I think children now…they get told to tell people how they're feeling.” [24:42]
    • Jamie: “There's a hard balance…building that resilience is important…but also there's a balance to be able to talk about your feelings and be open.” [25:12]
  • Now, she recognizes the strength in honesty:
    • “They're the strong people. I'm probably quite weak for keeping everything inside… I definitely got better at probably creating a little bit of a circle of friends…I could speak honestly.” [26:05]

• Exercise & Wellbeing

  • On exercise’s role:
    • “When I train it stops me from overthinking as well…I'll probably get it all out as I go for a run.” [28:09]

• Post-Retirement Identity and the Challenge of Change

  • “I think when I finished playing, I never really had a plan…But then opportunities started coming along.” [30:13]
  • Jamie: “No wonder there becomes that problem with people feeling anxious or down or low mood.” [29:42]

Women’s Football: History, Perception, and Legacy

• The Ban, Stereotypes, and Growth

  • On the FA’s ban on women’s football:
    • “The ban was because the FA deemed football unsuitable for women to play.” — Jamie [32:42]
    • Jill: “But who said football wasn't for girls?…It is mad.” [32:53]

• Impact, Role Models and Opportunity

  • “The fact that now there's so many opportunities out there for us…you can pick from so many things, whereas going back 30 years you probably…could only pick maybe 10 of things.” [35:33]
  • “Sport has given me tools for life…resilience, determination…being a good person.” [35:33]
  • Jamie on sport’s lessons: “Sport taught me that failure is ok…you can go back next week and go again…” [36:20]

Teamwork and Leadership

• What Makes a Leader
  • “I think what makes a good leader is when they do it their way and they don't try and do it like somebody else…Leaders that are true to themselves.” [49:45]
  • “Serena [Wiegman]...what I loved about her…is just that directness. She’ll tell you exactly what she thinks of you…no grey areas.” [50:57]
  • Jill prefers assistant coaching over management: “I'd like to be on the grass coaching…then also being able to sit, have lunch, and probably have a bit of a laugh. I think that’d be a better role.” [51:23]

Sexuality, Identity, and Family

• Being Open and Authentic

  • “I've never hid away from the fact that me and Shelley are together, but I never really wanted to sit down and do a big interview about it because I’m a big believer…as long as you’re happy, it’s fine.” [53:42]
  • On the men’s game: “A lot of players think about the stands and the stadiums and maybe the environment that it would cause for them. That makes us really sad…” [54:00]

• Family Support

  • “I think I have to give my mum credit for that…she never questioned it. She was like, if that's what you want to do, that's what you want to do…” [56:17]
  • On family’s way of showing love: “I don't think we'll probably say ‘I love you’…but I know if I ever need them…actions speak louder than words.” [57:32]

Poetic Creativity and Fun

• Love for Poetry & Creativity
  • Jill often thinks in poems and writes them, especially when idle—such as in the ‘I’m a Celeb’ jungle villa:
    • “Sometimes I'll be walking…I'll just be speaking in poems in my head.” [58:29]
    • She wrote for hours about her life while in seclusion pre-jungle entry. [58:50–59:56]
  • Jamie writes Jill a playful football limerick:
    • “There once was a lioness named Jill whose midfield play showed mighty skill…” [58:03]

Quickfire “Get to Know Jill” Round (Selected Highlights) [62:00–68:27]

• Phrase That Cheers Her Up: “Should we go for a coffee?” [62:11]
• Best Compliment: “Thank you for being a good teammate and thank you for being there for me.” [62:26]
• Guilty Pleasure: “Chocolate. I love chocolate. Dairy milk Cadbury’s.” [65:08]
• Something She Can’t Let Go Of: “The Lionesses. Since I retired, I’ve been to the World Cup with them...I can't let go of the Lionesses.” [64:43]
• Favorite Goal: Scoring in the 2009 Euros semi-final: “The ball literally smacked us on the nose and went bottom corner. So it wasn't the best goal in terms of technique, but in terms of what it meant.” [68:04]

Notable Quotes

• On Bullying and Resilience:

  • “I was nine years old and I remember being like, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry...there was nothing that was going to stop us from playing.” — Jill Scott [22:31]

• On Womanhood in Football:

  • “Who said football wasn't for girls? …I always do that and I'm like, we're in a good place now. Young girls have got the opportunity to play…” — Jill Scott [32:53]

• On Self-Worth and Contribution:

  • “You can all bring something else to whatever you're doing. And I think that's really important.” — Jill Scott [44:43]

• On Leadership:

  • “Leaders that are true to themselves, because if not, you can see that they're trying to do something different and you don't feel as if it's genuine.” — Jill Scott [49:45]

• On Failure:

  • “If you lose, you can go back next week and go again. That idea of failure was really important to me…” — Jamie Laing [36:25]

• On Authenticity:

  • “I'm a big believer…as long as you're happy, it's fine.” — Jill Scott [53:42]

• On Support from Family:

  • “Actions speak louder than words.” — Jill Scott [57:32]

Memorable Moments

• Jill’s infamous Euros outburst:

  • “I did say, ‘off, you prick’. And you know what? I don’t even swear in day-to-day life…But in that moment, I must have just been so passionate, so emotional…” [14:08]

• Jamie and Jill’s playful banter about giving up their phones on team buses, what makes a good poem, and who they’d snog, marry, avoid among famous pundits. [05:05–05:59]

• Emotional recollection of tears as a child and how things have changed for girls in football. [22:31]

• Jamie’s observation:

  • “That mentality of never giving up is really important that we should really have in life because things always do get tough.” [Summary at 68:32]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:06 — Early football bullying and resilience
• 06:15 — Handling nerves, “three things” coping mechanism
• 08:24 — 161 England caps and pride
• 15:53 — Regret and failure: being sent off
• 22:22 — Parental and peer abuse while playing football as a girl
• 24:42 — Emotional repression vs. vulnerability
• 29:42 — Retirement and identity
• 32:42 — FA’s ban on women’s football
• 35:33 — Life lessons from sport
• 44:44 — Imposter syndrome
• 49:45 — What makes a good leader
• 53:42 — Visibility and openness about sexuality
• 62:00 — Quickfire round
• 68:04 — Favorite ever goal
• 70:52 — Teaser for next episode (with Ashley Roberts)

Final Thoughts

Jill Scott’s story is one of resilience, determination, and authenticity. From overcoming bullying to becoming an England icon, her philosophy centers on self-improvement, teamwork, and supporting others—on and off the pitch. This candid conversation is as valuable for those interested in sport as it is for anyone seeking inspiration in the face of adversity.

Listen if you want:

• To be inspired by real stories of resilience
• Inside perspectives on women’s football
• Honest discussion around mental health and courage
• Laughter, good banter, and practical wisdom from one of football’s best-loved characters