Alex Scott's emotional confession after falling 'madly in love' with Arsenal star

Alex Scott is one of the biggest names to enter the I'm a Celebrity jungle this weekend as she and the other contestants open up in front of the British public

Football icon turned broadcasting favourite Alex Scott is set to face a fresh challenge as she enters the jungle for I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! on Sunday. The BBC presenter will offer viewers a deeper look into her life, including pivotal moments that have moulded her into who she is today.

One significant period in Scott's journey relates to her Arsenal career, where she featured 313 times across three different stints. Yet not all memories from the retired right-back's time in north London are positive ones.

During her second stint with the Gunners, the academy product became team-mates with Kelly Smith. After both joined Arsenal in 2005, their connection quickly developed into a romance that would ultimately prove unsustainable.

Scott, who earned 140 caps for England throughout her distinguished career, has previously spoken candidly about falling "madly and deeply in love" with former Arsenal and England team-mate Smith. The pair conducted a private eight-year relationship that eventually ended in heartache, which Scott addressed in her 2022 autobiography, 'How (Not) To Be Strong'.

"I'm writing this book and I want to tell everything. I thought I'd be cheating you all if I didn't put that in there," she told The Mirror regarding that chapter at her book launch three years ago. "For me, it's like that first love story.

"I fell madly and deeply in love. Yes, there's that heartbreak and those things, but it's a huge part of my life and I wouldn't go back and change that. Because that feeling of love and that excitement and what it gives you, it needed to be in there."

The 41-year-old may find it somewhat easier to reflect on those difficult memories now. More than a decade since her romance with England legend Smith ended, she seems to have discovered new happiness with pop star Jess Glynne.

While Football Focus host Scott continues to be guarded about discussing the details of their partnership, the couple clearly share a strong bond. Beyond attending red carpet events and public occasions together over the last two years, they've also become increasingly open about featuring one another across their social media platforms.

The journey hasn't been entirely straightforward, though, with Scott revealing how her childhood affected particular elements of their relationship. More precisely, she told The Times last year how her "stupidly cruel" father, Tony, suppressed her feelings and made it difficult for her to be vulnerable with others.

"We weren't allowed to express emotion," said Scott. "Dad didn't allow us to hug each other or say 'I love you'. It had a huge impact on us all. To this day, if I want to show people love, I'll do it by taking them out to dinner and paying.

"I remember one of the first times Jess hugged me. I was like... [makes a rigid expression]. She was like, 'Are you not going to put your arms around me?' But I didn't know how to do that. We laugh about it to this day."

Scott's father has consistently rejected any suggestions of providing an inadequate upbringing. Tony said: "Perhaps she is judging me by today's standards, I don't know. Parents were a lot tougher back then. But I was never violent, that's just not me. I never beat Alex or anyone else in the family or did anything like that."

Scott has previously revealed she and Glynne were hesitant about making their relationship public because their relationship "is so special." However, much is sure to come to light over the coming fortnight as she appears alongside an impressive line-up on the ITV hit show