Athlete

My body shape has transformed as sports science research has developed. It used to be thought that footballers needed to be big and do lots of weights and little cardio.

To walk out at Wembley in an England shirt is a big deal for a girl who remembers playing in her local football cage down the park in Poplar with the boys.

When I was younger, my food and fitness were less controlled - I just loved football.

No matter what happens to our game, money won't be a motivation for me.

I don't want to be regarded as a female pundit. I'm a pundit.

My hardest lesson has been my most fruitful, too: that when people don't believe in me, I can prove them wrong.

I'm that girl - I've never been camping; I don't even go to festivals because I hate the cold and the rain. If it starts to rain, I'm the first one on the training field to go in and get a hat!

I was fortunate enough to play in a number of finals, and I can still remember waking with butterflies in my stomach. It is at moments like those you realise why you fell in love with football in the first place.

I was an attacking full-back but was told by Hope Powell to just sit back when we played U.S.A. in the 2007 World Cup. It's hard to rein yourself in, but the team comes first.

I know what I do, I know I can play football, and I know I can talk about it.

Putting the need of your team above personal self-interest is a difficult thing to do.

My attitude as a footballer was to always be prepared - make sure you're the fittest and know who you're up against. And that's exactly how I treat the media side.

The knockout games of a major tournament are when you see players' true characters.

Women are the same. We watch football; we play football. Why wouldn't we be out there giving our opinions on the sport ,too?

I love travelling to the games and doing them pitchside with Gabby Logan.

My mum never once tried to push me into something different, even though there was no way of making a living out of women's football. She supported me because she saw I was happy and that it gave me a focus to not be hanging around on the street.

I love music - in my playing days, I was always the team DJ.

I may not have played men's football, but I've been at World Cups as a player. I know the emotions. I've been in quarter finals, a semi-final. I'd been substituted and sat on the bench watching us lose a penalty shoot-out. I know what happens, what you need when the pressure's on.

I loved getting messages from people saying they were watching during the World Cup with their son or daughter, and they could see they could be involved, too. That was so powerful.

There's always a responsibility as a pundit, whether you're male or female: the way you present yourself, making sure you've got your facts right.