Strictly Come Dancing's Karen Carney's life – bullied at school to Lioness success

Karen Carney is one of the famous faces trying her luck on the dance floor on this year's edition of Strictly Come Dancing. She will be joining the likes of Love Island winner Dani Dyer, Geordie Shore legend Vicky Pattison and Neighbours star Stefan Dennis, amongst a host of others

But life wasn't always so easy for the Lioness, 38, who became the second most capped England player with 144 appearances before the record was beaten by I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! star Jill Scott. Since her days on the pitch, she has carved out a successful presenting career and has been seen on TNT Sports, and Sky Sports, covering major sporting events.

However, the sports star was born in Birmingham and once shunned the idea of riches that a career in sports can bring. She said: "I'm from Birmingham: my mum works at Sainsbury's, my dad is a fire-fighter. We keep it real. We know who we are. I don't need a Bentley; I don't need a Rolex!"

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What's more, Karen did have to put up with some bullying when she was at school in a time when girls weren't encouraged to play football. She previously told Startups Magazine: " I think when I first started playing, I was the only girl and got bullied for it. It wasn’t really the norm to play, as historically it’s for boys and men. }"

So, at 11 when I told my mum “I’m going to play for England,” we didn’t know that there was an England women’s team at the time or if there was a team where I could try and play. All I knew is I just fell in love with it."

Karen enjoyed a record-breaking career on the pitch, but confirmed earlier this year that she had in fact retired for good. The sports star, who was nicknamed 'the wizard' during play, held an Ask Me Anything session on social media and confirmed: "It has meant retiring the boots completely. I have come out and played Soccer Aid the last couple of times, but unfortunately, I don't really play anymore."

Despite this, Karen is still a keen advocate for health and fitness, and nearly seven years ago, she adopted a vegan diet. She previously explained: "When I turned vegan in 2018 and noticed the positive change immediately both in my health and performance on the football pitch when playing for both club and country.

“The perception of the plant-based diet is that you will miss out on certain foods, but thankfully, Violife means I never miss out on my cheesy favourites like pizza and cheese on toast!"

Prior to breaking into football, Karen attended Loughborough University in Sports and Exercise Science, where she studied Physiology and Sports Psychology. With regards to her personal life, she is notoriously private and has never disclosed whether she has a special someone on the scene.

It's not yet known who Karen's Strictly partner will be, but the Lioness star has been given odds of 12/1 when it comes to winning the whole competition and walking off with the Glitterball Trophy.

Love Island winner Dani Dyer has 4/1 odds. But, as it stands, Ladbrokes' favourite to win is Emmerdale star Lewis Cope, who was drafted in as alast-minute replacement for Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn, when he withdrew before rehearsals started. His odds of winning the whole series currently stand at 3/1.

On joining the show, Karen said: "“It really is a dream come true to be a part of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing line up. I’m such a huge fan of the show and I can’t believe I’m finally getting the chance to take part. I’m so excited to meet everyone and get dancing!"

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