Former Lioness Ellen White opens up about preparing for motherhood: ‘Nervous to be in charge of a tiny baby’

The footballer announced her retirement last August

Former England football player Ellen White has spoken candidly about how she and her partner feel about becoming first-time parents.

White and her husband Callum Convery announced in December that they were expecting their first child together.

Speaking to Hello! magazine about the prospect of becoming a mother, White – who was part of the winning Women’s Euro 2022 team – joked that “everyone’s really hoping for another Lioness”.

She added: “We’re super excited about being parents; it’s something we’ve spoken about for so long.

“We are nervous to be in charge of a tiny baby, but we’ll make a really good team and we’ll figure it out ourselves.”

The former athlete, 33, continued: “It does feel a bit more special that it’s the team’s first baby since the Euros.

“We don’t know what sex it will be, so I think everyone’s really hoping for another Lioness, but we’ll be delighted either way.”

Before her retirement in August 2022, shortly after the Euros victory, White played for a number of clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds United.

She revealed how her former England teammates reacted to her pregnancy news and said: “They were really happy when we told them.

Jill Scott, Mary Earps, Lauren Hemp and Ellen White attend BBC Sports Personality Of The Year at Dock10 Studios on December 21, 2022 (Getty Images)

“The ones I’m closest to knew how much we wanted to start a family so everyone was excited for us.”

Referring to fellow Lionesses Millie Bright, Rachel Daly and Beth Mead, White added: “I think Millie, Rachel and Beth are looking forward to being aunties and meeting the baby.

“Will they be godparents? I don’t know, I’ll see how good they are when the baby comes out.”

White also opened up about how pregnancy changed her lifestyle, including how nausea “overtook” her regular exercise and “made me feel worse”.

“So I listened to my body and took a step back and I haven’t been doing a hell of a lot,” she said. “I think it’s actually been good for me, to decompress and relax a bit rather than going at a million miles an hour with football and training.”

Additional reporting by PA