Jill feels bad for the sacrifices her family made for her to pursue football.

Jill Scott has opened up about the sacrifices her family made during her successful football career. The former England midfielder, 36, spoke to BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs host Lauren Laverne about her personal experiences.

Scott, from Sunderland, said: "I feel like the sacrifice, maybe, isn't with me because I got to go and live my best life playing football. But I feel like my family made a big sacrifice because I have been absent from a lot of things. My sister's wedding, I remember going to the wedding and the first dance was about to happen. I had to leave because I had an FA Cup semi-final the next day in London, I had drive from Sunderland to London, still had the hairpins in, I think I still had my bridesmaid dress on, so for me not to be there for her first dance and to just leave the wedding."

The I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! winner added that her family has always been "so supportive" of her career, but she still feels "a massive amount of guilt." The football pro further discussed the sacrifices she made when she first signed for Everton, making the six-hour round trip from her home in Sunderland to Merseyside three times a week.

Scott shared that she was up and down the motorway with her friends "just trying to find somewhere to sleep." She added, "The journeys back were hard if we finished at 10pm and get back to Sunderland. It was a slog but honestly I had the biggest smile on my face."

When comparing the sacrifices she made to male Premier League players who were earning top salaries, she didn't think about the money side. Scott admitted she didn't enjoy the sport as much when she was on higher wages.

The England favourite worked hard to achieve her greatness, and although she had the best wages she's ever been on, she said, "I probably wasn't enjoying my football." Scott concluded that the days of putting £5 petrol in the car and having £6 in coins in her pocket were the happiest she was.

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