Queer BBC presenter Alex Scott reveals trolls threatened to ‘throw acid’ in her face
BBC Sport presenter Alex Scott has revealed that trolls threatened to ‘throw acid’ in her face. (James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Queer BBC footballer presenter Alex Scott has spoken about the online bullying that left her scared to leave her home.
Scott, who is dating singer Jess Glynne, told The Times that trolls had threatened to “throw acid” in her face.
The former Arsenal and England defender revealed that when she was mentioned as a possible replacement to host the BBC’s long-running A Question of Sport: “I had plenty of racism, abuse and even death threats.
“When I was reported incorrectly to be replacing national treasure Sue Barker, people were saying: ‘She’s only on TV because she’s black, female and younger. She’s just ticking boxes’.
‘I was scared to go out of the house’
“I was scared to go out of the house because these trolls were saying they were going to throw acid in my face,” she added. “Luckily, there are other people who keep me smiling. They’ll come up to me in my local shop and say: ‘Keep going’, and that’s what I do.”
Scott, who won 140 international caps between 2004 and 2017, has never explicitly labelled her sexuality or come out but has been in relationships with men and women. She remains in the running to replace Gary Lineker as host of the BBC’s flagship Match of the Day. He will be stepping down at the end of the season.
In her memoir, How (Not) To Be Strong, Scott wrote about her previous relationship with former Arsenal and England teammate Kelly Smith.
Scott, who was appointed MBE in 2017, said they were together from 2005 until 2013, revealing that she had been “madly and deeply in love”.
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