Alex Scott almost walked away from her TV career amid abuse from trolls on social media.
The 34-year-old soccer pundit – who is competing on this year’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ – has revealed she considered turning her back on her career, as she was inundated with abusive messages through Twitter and Instagram.
She shared: "I had all of it – for being a woman on TV, for being a woman of colour on TV, that I’m ticking a box, death threats. I didn’t speak to anyone about what was happening because I didn’t know what to do.
"I felt so lonely. I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me when I was trying to break into the industry.
"I didn’t want to give away anything that could be used against me. So I hid it. I began to struggle and reached the point where I was like, ‘I need to say something’.
"At my lowest point I was always questioning whether I was doing the right thing, thinking, ‘What am I doing?’
"It was really starting to affect my personality. I was questioning whether to quit the job. But that’s when I spoke out and realised the power in that.
"I got a lot of support, which was really encouraging. If it happened again, I would definitely call the police."
Ultimately, Alex – who played for England more than 100 times – hopes to inspire young girls to follow in her footsteps.
She told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "The part of the job I love is when young girls tell me they are watching me follow my dreams and thinking, ‘I can do that.’"
Alex Scott almost quit her TV role amid Twitter abuse
