Leah Williamson reflects on the positives & negatives of new-found fame
England and Arsenal star Leah Williamson has explained that there are both good and bad sides to the new-found fame that members of the Lionesses’ triumphant Euro 2022 squad have experienced since the historic win over Germany at Wembley in the summer.
Williamson lifted the trophy at the end of extra-time, England’s first senior honour for either gender in 56 years. Interest in the team rapidly grew throughout the tournament, with record breaking crowds and TV audiences, to the point where many of the players are now household names.
Ella Toone has spoken about being ‘papped’ eating a pasty, while Jill Scott became the first female footballer to take part in I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and won it.
As captain and arguably the face of the team, Williamson embodies that more than most. To close the most incredible year, she will be one of the guests on the New Year’s Eve edition of The Graham Norton Show on BBC One alongside acting royalty Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman.
Williamson is a fan of the way the profiles of female footballers has been raised, giving the next generation obviously visible role models to look up to in a way that wasn't the case before. But she has somewhat different feelings about what being famous actually entails.
“I love it because we can reach so many people. Like, girls’ mums and dads don’t have to search us out like mine had to,” the England skipper told Women’s Health.
“I hate the fame and that side of it. I hate that to get from my car to you in the quickest time I need to put a cap on. But when you become a professional women’s footballer, like, that is your role, it’s a joint responsibility.”
However, Williamson is still adamant that she and others must accept that part too.
“If you’re not prepared to [be famous] you’re doing a disservice to the game and all those women that had to pretend to be boys to be able to play. I understand that I stand on the shoulders of those people,” she explained.
“I don’t want [fame] to change me. For the past two years, I’ve only actually spent time with people I already knew. I’m not scared of making new friends, but I won’t be held accountable the same way that I would with my people.”
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