Alex Scott says she faces torrents of racist abuse and trolling which have left her ‘scared for her life.’
The former footballer, 37, made history in 2018 as the first female Sky pundit on a Sky Sports Super Sunday.
She joined the BBC World Cup commentary line-up the same year, and has become a regular fixture on sports commentary panels where she gives expert analysis.
But despite her incredible achievements and world-class knowledge of the game, Alex says she faces horrific abuse online, which can lead her to ‘dark places’ mentally.
In an interview with The Times, the Arsenal legend opened up about the online attacks and said at one point she was ‘scared for my life.’
In the summer of 2021, Alex was targeted on social media over false reports she had been chosen to replace Sue Barker as the new presenter of A Question Of Sport, a role which eventually went to Paddy McGuinness.
‘That was at a level that I was scared for my life,’ the presenter admitted, saying she received death threats.
‘I was scared to leave my house to even go to the shop. That’s the stage that we’d got to – that, oh my gosh, someone Black might be replacing a national treasure could cause such hatred.’
She briefly turned to drinking in a bid to drown out the trolls’ noise, The Times reported in their interview, and she sought therapy after the online abuse.
‘I take lessons from what’s happened to me. I wouldn’t be the person I am without all this,’ the presenter went on.
She admitted she found herself in a particularly bad place after presenting at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, recalling one high-profile incident that made headlines at the time.
She said: ‘I can slip into dark places. And once I slip into dark places, I don’t stop.
‘I loved being out at the Olympics, but afterwards I realised the mad pressure that I’d put on myself to take everything – the trolling, the racism, Lord Digby Jones.’
The star was referencing a comment from former Labour minister and ex-House of Lords member Jones, who criticised Alex’s pronunciation while presenting the sports event and asked if someone could give her elocution lessons.
Jones received instant backlash for his comment, with Alex expertly hitting back and saying she was proud of her working class, East London roots, saying comments like Jones’ ‘give me the energy to keep going.’
Now opening up on the incident, she said: ‘I went into the Olympics knowing the scrutiny that I would be under once again from all the trolls.
‘But then to open Twitter and see that from him, I was just like, “I’m not going to be silent any more. I’ve had enough.” So I just tweeted and went to bed.’
Alex, who was born in Poplar to a Jamaican father and an Irish mother, was praised for her response to Digby’s tweet at the time, as she wrote: ‘I’m from a working class family in East London, Poplar, Tower Hamlets & I am PROUD.
‘Proud of the young girl who overcame obstacles, and proud of my accent! It’s me, it’s my journey, my grit.
‘A quick one to any young kids who may not have a certain kind of privilege in life. Never allow judgments on your class, accent, or appearance hold you back. Use your history to write your story. Keep striving, keep shining & don’t change for anyone.
‘Tweets like this just give me the energy to keep going. See you tomorrow.. live on BBC baby.’
In November, Alex will be heading to Doha to present the BBC’s World Cup coverage, as well as presenting Sports Personality Of The Year in the UK.
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