Alex Scott Opens Up About ‘Serious’ Illness She’ll Battle for Life

Alex Scott got emotional on Friday as she opened up about a tough health battle she will have to live with for the rest of her life.

The sports pundit, 41, revealed she found out about the illness after previously suffering an injury from a slide-tackle during a football training session.

In a new advert, I’m A Celebrity star Alex promoted pain-relief gel FlexiSeq as she revealed she has ‘osteoarthritis’. 

She explained: ‘It was a tough training session, and a slide-tackle from one of my teammates rolled my ankle. 

‘I immediately knew “this is serious”, I was in chronic pain and [the doctor] told me I’ve got osteoarthritis.’ 

‘Arthritis? I’m in my twenties! I haven’t got arthritis.’

Alex said she ‘found a way’ to continue her football career as she managed the pain but still has to live with the ‘problem for the rest of her life’. 

She continued: ‘I’ve now got to live with this problem and manage it for the rest of my career. And not only my career, what’s after my career – my life.’ 

The former Arsenal defender also remarked that her diagnosis had nothing to do with her decision to retire in 2017, explaining that she simply wanted to start a new chapter of her sporting career. 

‘[The condition] was never going to stop me doing what I wanted to do, what I wanted to achieve. You find a way. Yes, it’s an invisible injury, but it really doesn’t have to stop you.

‘That was hard for me at first as I’m someone who wants to push myself. But when the pain of osteoarthritis kicks in that’s not always an option.’

Alex explained how she has learned when she is ‘struggling’ with osteoarthritis now and know when to ask for help.

She added: ‘Recently my arthritis has been really quite bad. I went running one day and the next day my ankle was just awful.

‘I was going to a fashion event in London that evening and I couldn’t physically get my ankle into the boots I was meant to be wearing.

‘As a result of that I had to go back to a physio to get some help. The key for me is being able to acknowledge when you’re struggling. There is no shame in putting your hand up and saying ‘I need help.’

Alex’s personal admission comes as her girlfriend Jess Glynne discussed whether she will be proposing to her after the football star hinted she was waiting for the singer to pop the question. 

Alex has told her campmates ITV’s I’m A Celebrity that she is ‘madly in love’ with the Hold My Hand hitmaker.

The BBC presenter opened up to her campmates Ruby Wax and Shona McGarty, saying: ‘I think before her, I never knew happiness… we fell madly in love.’

‘I will get married to her, just waiting for her to ask,’ she joked – and after tuning into the episode, Jess, 36, told her followers she ‘better go get a ring’. 

Appearing alongside Alex’s mum Carol McKee on This Morning on Friday, Jess further opened up on her engagement plans – but failed to confirm whether she had been shopping for a diamond just yet. 

Quizzed by hosts Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond, Jess was asked: ‘She’s been talking about marriage. Have you got the ring yet?’  

‘Yes,’ Jess replied, before quickly trying to cover her response, ‘The pressure! Why do I have to ask her? It’s a weird one, you never know who will ask who but…’ 

Flicking her hair over her shoulder, Jess offered up a suggestive smile towards the host, as Alison, 50, added: ‘You know you’ve got the ring! Watch this space!’

Jess added of Alex’s heartfelt and open chats with campmates on the show: ‘I’m just proud of like the conversation she’s having.

‘Her bravery and just being like true to who she is. That for me is like coming across so well, I think she’s doing well.

‘She struggled to have certain conversations anyway, and she’s so private and whatever. Then you see that and I’m like, “Wow. She’s really feeling comfortable”.’

Alex admitted in camp how she found sex with women ‘more passionate’ as she spoke about her sexuality, telling her co-stars: ‘It’s completely different with women, especially for me.   

‘It’s always been about a deep emotional connection which then makes the sex more passionate than ever anyway because you have such a deep bond between you.’

Carol joked: ‘I’m not too impressed… I really didn’t want to know about it!’

Nonetheless, she’s proud of Alex and added: ‘I still think she’s got a lot more to give. She’s not actually really showing her full self yet.’