Alex Scott says there is a rivalry brewing between her and David James ahead of the start of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
The retired Arsenal England soccer player and former Liverpool goalkeeper will both be hitting the ballroom on the BBC One series this year and Alex admits her friend and fellow footballer David has wasted no time in ramping up the "fighting talk" on who is going to be the better dancer.
She said: "It has been absolutely crazy; my phone hasn’t stopped ringing. Everyone knows this is the one show I’ve always wanted to do. I know David James well so when they announced my name he messaged me straight away with fighting talk!"
The 34-year-old star’s sporting career came to an end in May 2018, and she admitted it will be a challenge to get her fitness levels back up for the rigours of ‘Strictly’.
She stated: "I’m retired from football and have been out of the game for over a year – so I think my fitness has taken a hit.
"I’ve not trained a lot this year. I’ve got out of the routine. I think it’ll be challenging to get that back up and to be committed to sport again."
Although she’s yet to dance any routine, Alex is already dreaming of making it all the way to the final and insisted taking home the glitterball trophy would be the icing on the cake after a stellar football career which included winning the Women’s FA Cup seven times alongside five Women’s Premier League titles.
Asked if she’d rather win the glitterball trophy or have another FA Cup triumph, she said: "Oh gosh … well, I guess now I’m not in football anymore, so I’m after a new trophy in the cabinet … I want to go as far as I can. I’ve always wanted to be a part of this so I will be devastated if I go home early on and I end up watching later rounds from my sofa. I just really don’t want it to end too early."
‘Strictly Come Dancing’ launches on BBC One at 7.10pm this Saturday (07.09.19).