Who is Jill Scott? The England star turned I'm a Celebrity 2022 Contestant
By Ali Rampling
Jill Scott has been warming the nation's hearts on I'm a Celebrity 2022 with her singing, dancing and words of encouragement.
Prior to rocking up in the jungle with Charlene White, Matt Hancock and Boy George, Scott had recently called time on an illustrious footballing career spanning 18 years.
The midfielder is England's second most capped player of all time, having made 161 appearances for her country between 2006 and 2022. She played at eight major tournaments and two Olympic games, collecting three major tournament medals along the way.
Scott also enjoyed a hugely successful club career, starting out at home town side Sunderland and going on to play for Everton, Manchester City and Aston Villa.
Who is Jill Scott?
Scott grew up in Sunderland - a hot bed for women's football talent - and broke into the Sunderland senior team as a teenager.
She moved to Everton - a team who regularly challenged Arsenal for the league title - in the summer of 2006. Women's football was not a professional sport at the time, and Scott remained in Sunderland for her full-time job, before making the long drive down to Everton at evenings and weekends for training and matches.
The box-to-box midfielder finished as a league runner-up four times with Everton, and was part of the Toffees side that won the FA Cup in 2010 with a dramatic extra time victory over Arsenal.
She moved to Manchester City in 2013 ahead of their debut season in the WSL, and would go on to win seven major trophies during her time at the club; three Continental Cups, three FA Cups and the WSL title in 2016.
Scott had two loan spells during her time at Manchester City; one back to former club Everton in 2021, and one at Aston Villa in 2022.
Only Fara Williams has been capped more times for England than Scott. The 35-year-old made her debut against the Netherlands in 2006, was part of the Lionesses side that reached the Euro 2007 final - netting the extra time winner in the semi final - and secured a bronze medal at the 2015 World Cup. Scott scored 27 times in her 161 appearances for England.
She also opened her own coffee shop in Manchester in 2021, named BOXX2BOXX, in a nod to her role as a box to box midfielder throughout her football career.
Was Jill Scott part of England Women's Euro 2022 winning team?
Scott was part of the England squad that secured their maiden piece of silverware this summer by winning Euro 2022.
The midfielder made four substitute appearances during Euro 2022, including coming off the bench in the final against Germany with the score at 1-1.
Scott turned in a masterful performance, breaking up play and disrupting Germany's flow as England secured a famous 2-1 extra time victory. She was also iconically caught on camera swearing furiously at Germany's Sydney Lohmann.
The Euro 2022 final was Scott's final appearance as a professional footballer, and she announced her retirement in August.
Other footballers to appear on I'm A Celebrity
- David Ginola (2021)
- Ian Wright (2019)
- Harry Redknapp (2018)
- Dennis Wise (2017)
- Wayne Bridge (2016)
- Kieron Dyer (2015)
- Neil Ruddock (2014)
- Jimmy Bullard (2014)
- John Fashanu (2003)