Lizzie Cundy: Balls in the Right Places
She’s faced down football chairmen, sparred on politics panels, and even Sharon Stone’s given her jewellery. “The Queen of the WAGs” Lizzie Cundy boasts a life full of grit, glamour and guys goals turned gal. Lizzie, Loaded salutes you.
By Danni Levy
If football’s a game of two halves, Lizzie Cundy’s life has had about six. Actress, model, WAG-in-chief, telly presenter, showbiz columnist, political firebrand; Lizzie ain’t afraid of a little reinvention. Perhaps that shark bite she elicits with the grace of a dolphin is what keeps her permanently in the headlines. Or perhaps it’s the fact she’s (still), an eleven out of ten.
We grabbed her for a chinny wag wag to talk footie, family, Meghan Markle, and scoring goals from the halfway line. Strap in gents.
Lizzie on her first date with Jason Cundy
“My earliest memory of football is actually the first date Jason asked me to go on. It was to watch him play at Chelsea against Tottenham. And I thought, “Oh no, really?” And I thought, “Can I bring my best mate with me?”… Which I did. And we sat there nattering away. The only thing that was worth looking at was Gary Lineker. And then I had some old boy next to me saying, “Do you want me to explain the offside rule?” And I said, “No, not really.” I was a bit cocky with him.
Anyway, after the game, Jason said, “Oh, you know that lovely man you were sitting next to, that's my dad.” And I thought, “Oh no!” But I then grew to love the game, because once it gets under your skin, and then you just can't get enough of it.”
On the one moment she’ll never forget
“The one moment I’ll always remember is when my mum went, “Oh my God, Jason is on ITN News at 10.” And I just thought, “What's he done wrong?” I got home, and he'd actually scored from the halfway line. It was way before David Beckham did it, but my word, he actually scored from the other side of the pitch and it went in. Maybe it was a fluke, maybe it was skill, but it was one moment I'll never forget.”
On marrying into football
“Jason and I met very young, I was 18 years old. We met in a nightclub, and I remember my mum saying, “Please, no, not a footballer.” My brother was chuffed to bits as he supported Chelsea. But yeah, it has been tough for many reasons. Love it or hate it, I have made a living out of being called a “WAG.” People look down on you and presume that all you want to do is shop, get your nails done, and haven't got much of a brain. So when I went into TV hosting, I really had to prove myself. I had so many auditions. They tested me on all my movie knowledge at ITV, and I remember the producer saying, “Gosh, I'll never judge a book by its cover again. You do have a brain, and you know your stuff.” And I kind of took that as a compliment. But it has been, I think, sort of double hard for me to prove myself in a man's world that I can be just as good or even better than any man.”
On the glory days of football
“I do think football has lost a lot of its old school grit. You used to go in with a two-footed tackle and it was far more sort of rough and tough. Now everyone cries if there's a little tap on the old shins. It's not like the good old days. In fact, that's why I really admired my ex-husband, because he'd really go for it. He'd come out worse than ever, and usually injured, but at least he went for it. I like my sportsmen to be proper men and go for it. Now, there are too many pansies playing.”
On women in football
“At last, women are being taken seriously in football. We look at the Lionesses that have done so incredibly well, and we've got far more commentators; even referees are now women. But still, there are some old dinosaurs in the football world that really don't like it. Also, the women don't get the brand deals, don't get anywhere like the same sort of pay as the men. So we've still got a long way to go. But I'm always championing women. It's tough. People think football's a man's world. When I was with Jason, I got on with all the players. I made sure I was friends with the chairman. I’d always try and get the best deal for Jason. And you know I had to have balls to do that. It is still a male-oriented business, but women are on the rise and we’ve just got to keep fighting. But there's still a long way to go.”
On inventing the word “WAG”
“As I said, I don't mind the term “WAG.” I, in fact, helped invent it with Sven Eriksson before the World Cup in 2008. I could just see the press were interested in the wives and girlfriends. And I thought, “You know what, we need to do something with this because everyone's interested in them and not really about the football.” So, in my way, I found out where Sven was. My friend introduced me, and I gave him the idea. I said, “Look, let me come out to the World Cup. I will take the focus off your players who are known for getting up to no good, especially when they're away.” And I said, “Look, I'll take the focus off them and I’ll help give the press attention to the wives and girlfriends.” Sven loved the idea, and that led to the term “WAG,” which I then went on to use for everything. I made a career out of it. I did a book. I even did a musical called Wag the Musical.
I talk on many football issues. I actually adore football; I love Chelsea. But I was kind of the spokesperson for many of the footballers and many of the footballers' wives. Sadly, footballers were getting on the front of the papers instead of the back of the papers. And they seem to always come to me to help with the media. And I kind of became queen of the WAGs for the media world.
Many of the footballers' wives I know don't like the term, but they've still made a living out of it. But I really did; I really milked it. I went for it. Some may say, “Oh that’s a bit desperate?” But no, I call it clever.”
On Meghan Markle
“I've been outspoken about Meghan, because I knew her before she met Harry. I helped her get into the circle she wanted to get into. She wanted a British boyfriend, and I met her. We got on instantly. She was a real girl's girl, and I wanted to help her. I know the London scene like the back of my hand and knew the right people for her to be introduced to. And I wanted to help Meghan
”I like Meghan, so I was kind of shocked when she ghosted me, as she did others like Piers Morgan and many others who helped her. But I was just so chuffed for her. She really won the lottery when she met Harry, and I really hoped and prayed she'd be like the next Princess Diana. And I have been vocal about her; I haven't liked the way she's spoken about the Royal Family, especially just before our late Queen passed away. And I didn't like the way she treated the British public, because actually we did love her. We did welcome her with open arms. And I just think it's very sad the way it's all turned out for Meghan. But listen, I'm always there on the end of the phone for her if she fancies reuniting the friendship, shall we say.”
On chasing her Hollywood dream
“I actually wanted to be an actress from a very young age. My dad was an art director at a big advertising group who made huge ads, and he'd always put me on as a young kid. I was always surrounded by big names, so I never felt nervous. I wanted to be a Sharon Stone, and then when I actually met her, she was nicer than I ever thought. I remember trying to choose a diamante choker in Butler and Wilson on King's Road. There was only one left, and Sharon went to the till and bought it and then came and gave it to me. I’ve always idolised Sharon Stone; I loved her in Fatal Attraction. So I was very honoured to be pictured like her for Loaded. I loved it. But yeah, my dream was always to be an actress, then I got put into modelling and then I met Jason. We were so in love and wanted to be together. And I knocked drama school on the head. I have starred in some movies. I've also done body doubling, adverts, and all of that. But I really wanted to be a Hollywood star. That was my dream. And you never know, I still could do it.”
On breaking into TV
“I got into presenting by chance, really. I was modelling at the time, even though I had small kids, and Jason, sadly, got testicular cancer. I had to go on to breakfast telly to talk about it and what we were going through. And then, after, they said, “Would you like to do a series with us?” It was sort of going around with the different designers, and it was a great series. And I was chuffed to bits to do it. From that, I got my own TV show, Wags World. I then went on to Would You Dump Me Now about doing makeovers for women who’d been dumped by their ex-partners. After that, I went on to host ITV At The Movies, which was amazing. I loved the movie world. So that was really my my greatest job. Then I started covering football and what's going on morning telly. I was even the Showbiz Queen at OZ Magazine for nine years. I absolutely loved it.
I've reinvented myself yet again now and gone into politics, because my dad used to do all the Margaret Thatcher campaigns. I love politics, and I really get my teeth into it. I don't have an ex-husband to row with anymore, so I love having a good old feisty debate.”
On politics today
“I'm doing a lot of the news shows at the minute. I'm afraid we've got (quite probably), the worst Prime Minister we've ever had. He's upset every single person, from the pensioners, to the farmers, to the small businesses, and I really fear for what he's doing to this country. Many of my wealthy friends are leaving; they're going to Dubai or Marbella, and they're leaving this country. But I love Great Britain; I love what it stands for, and I'm hoping the good days will return again. We need to get this Prime Minister out of office and get this country back on its feet.”
On a wedding to remember
“I think the moment in football stands out for me is that I, for some reason, decided to get married at an England v Scotland game, and Jason and I had this wonderful wedding in Wimbledon Village. The majority of the Tottenham team were there, as well as other footballers, and half of the congregation were listening to the game on earphones. We knew that David Seaman had saved the goal because everyone jumped out of their pews, screaming. So that is one match, and one wedding, I will never forget.”
The Loaded Lizzie Verdict
From pitch to politics, Lizzie keeps you firmly in touch. Forget the halfway line, she’s scored before you’ve even raised your glass.