England Lioness Mary Earps’ life off-pitch – relationships, TikTok queen and sad kitchen breakdown

Away from the football pitch, England Lioness goalkeeper Mary Earps spends time with her nearest and dearest at home and has lavish holidays abroad to Dubai, Madrid and Greece

Video Loading

Video Unavailable

The video will auto-play soon8Cancel

Play now

Sports Personality of the Year 2023 shortlist

When Lioness goalkeeper Mary Earps isn’t saving the ball, she enjoys a glamorous life jet-setting around the world on luxurious holidays, but she’s also suffered some low points too.

The 30-year-old athlete, who was awarded the Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper in the World 2022, has proven her doubters wrong and built up a name for herself on the pitch with her impressive talent. Now, she’s one of the top contenders to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2023 tonight.

But it wasn’t an easy path to fame for Mary, who had a huge setback three years ago and found herself crying on her kitchen floor. The aspiring star didn’t give up and the team’s new football manager, Sarina Wiegman, helped get her in the squad. Here, we take a look at her highs and lows off-pitch…

Mary first realised she wanted to be a goalkeeper when she was playing footie with her dad and brother (

Image:

Instagram/1maryearps) She joined a local football team and her supportive parents whisked her to training and matches (

Image:

Instagram/1maryearps)

The Nottingham-born ace is close with her family and has said they all keep her grounded with her new-found success. Speaking to GQ Magazine, she revealed that it was during a kickabout in the garden with her dad and brother that she decided she wanted to be a professional footballer. So she joined a local team and her supportive parents took her to matches and training. “I was playing a local Saturday match and saved a penalty,” she said. That was the moment she knew she wanted to be a keeper.

However, things haven’t always been easy for the first-class player, indeed, Mary even once thought her dream career was over. In September 2020, she was hoping her efforts for Manchester United would earn her a recall to the England team – but, she didn’t make it. Goalkeepers Carly Telford, Ellie Roebuck, Hannah Hampton and Sandy MacIver were all picked ahead of her.

Upon hearing the news, Mary sank to her kitchen floor and broke down. She recalled: “I got to a point where I felt I had sort of reached my limits. I had given football a good go, but wasn’t quite good enough. I had responsibilities, I had a mortgage and it wasn’t adding up.” Mary stuck with football for another two years and has since proven that she has a rightful place back in the squad, competing in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Away from football, the pro player lives her best life travelling the world and spending time with her loved ones at home. They were the first people she messaged when she was nominated for FIFA’s Best Award. “I was blown away [to be nominated]. There aren’t loads of awards around for goalkeepers,” Mary told BBC Sport. “I texted my mum and dad straight away. They humbly replied with just ‘well done’. It was a standard Earps family reply, super chilled. It’s really nice and the real icing on the cake. It doesn’t happen often and it never really happens to me so I forget [these awards] exist in a way. To be named on the shortlist, it came out of the blue, and it was really cool.”

She text her family as soon as she was nominated for FIFA’s Best Award – and they had a humble response (

Image:

Instagram/1maryearps) The 30-year-old has a bus named after her in her hometown of West Bridgford (

Image:

Instagram/1maryearps)

As well as achieving numerous awards, Mary has been supported by her local community and even has a bus named after her in her hometown, West Bridgford, near Nottingham. She is often stopped for photographs and spotted in the street by fans – though it’s taken some getting used to. She told Vogue: “A lot has changed since our Euros win, including the profile of the game. I’m trying to adjust to and enjoy the attention that comes with success. Not that I would have it any other way.”

Outside of goalkeeping, Mary has a degree in information management and business studies too, but she’s most passionate about shaping the future of football for females. She told GQ: “‘I’m very ambitious about wanting to push myself to reach my absolute maximum potential and change the landscape of female goalkeeping. You know, just small goals.”

It is unknown whether Mary is in a relationship and she chooses to keep much of her personal and love life private. Though she is the TikTok queen of the Lionesses with a following of over 1 million, and regularly joins in the latest trends or shows behind-the-scenes footage of matches to let fans in on the reality of being part of the England women’s team.

Mary spends her well-earnt rest from goalkeeping duties jetting off around the globe (

Image:

Mary Earps/Instagram)

One scan of Mary’s Instagram account (@1maryearps) and you’ll spot her holidaying it up in Madrid, Dubai, Australia and Berlin. Mary loves to snap a happy and relaxed shot when she’s taking a break from football and soaking up the sun abroad. And she’s no stranger to a pun, captioning a photo of her in Greece: “I can finally say that I’ve been to Greece, better late than feta.” Another picture of her rowing a boat in Spain reads: “When you’re trying to do a cute pout but forget you don’t have a top lip.”