The Tooney & Russo Show - England Captain Leah Williamson: series finale

Episode Date: June 10, 2024

Arsenal defender and England captain Leah Williamson settles into the living room for the series finale to share her stories about Tooney and Russo and more gossip from inside the England camp. She also talks about the realities of being captain off the pitch, including the advice she gave Ella in Ibiza after the Euros.[Episode recorded over 01/05/2024 & 02/05/2024]

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Z, this is what I mean. I literally told her this yesterday to never tell anyone this. No, but this is something you would do. Woo! would do. Hello and welcome to this very special episode of the Toonie and Russo show with me Vic Hope. You want to know why it's special? It's the finale. It's the finale. If you're watching on YouTube you'll see that there's an extra chair here the chair gives it away doesn't next to me yeah so for the final episode of the series we're doing things a little bit differently and we've invited england captain leah williamson to be our first guest we've set

the bar quite high yeah yeah we've gone all out yeah so i'm holding this chair which is where she'll be sitting what i will say overall my feeling is it's made me further away from you. Yeah. And I don't know how I feel about that. You should have come and sat here. I know. And just interrogated. I mean, you know, she's your captain.

How are you feeling about that? Because this is a very different environment to being on the pitch. And this is an environment we've all got really comfortable in yeah i mean we're in our living room now aren't we yeah we're all fitting quite nicely yeah i think she'll be great what's it like having your your skipper here in your living room now our living room our living room we should have put a picture oh we've got our shirt over there yeah yeah We should have put a picture on the shirt. We've got our shirt over there. Yeah, we should have added a picture. We've got her book there and a book there.

Oh, nice. So she should feel quite at home, actually. Yeah, we've made her feel welcome, haven't we? Yeah. Well, I know that she's a country music fan as well. She is a country music fan. I'm really outnumbered now. Yeah, you are.

You're just bringing people in who fit in your friendship group. Yeah, it's 3v1 now. For both of you, what was it like the first time you met her i can't remember no i can't remember it would have been probably one of my first camps she would have been there um but yeah she's quite easy to get on with isn't she yeah she is she makes you feel welcome and you can tell that she's a proper leader yeah when you go into camp just her personality shows that she wants to win and she wants to lead by example. Yeah, and she's cool, isn't she? Yeah. I have got to ask because obviously, you know,

you've got football to play. Myself, I've got nothing to lose. So if there's anything that you want me to ask her that you wouldn't feel like you can, that's what I'm here for. Yeah, you are the host. Anything you've been dying to know that you're like, i've never had the courage

to ask it i'll put everything on the line if one springs to mind i'll uh text you in the whatsapp group yeah i've got my phone drop it on the slide because yeah i like that well should we get her in yeah let's do it Leah Williamson everyone! Welcome to the Toonie and Rousseau show. Thanks for having me. I'm sorry that you get a chair like this, it's not quite the same is it? I wanted you to sit here to be honest. You told me you wanted me to sit there a second ago, you've changed your tune.

I'm really excited to get to know you a little bit better Leah and I've been getting to know these two what was the first impression they made on you when you first met them? don't take this the wrong way be honest this is an open

it is but immediately just lets you know that she's probably the nicest person in the world. Is that right? I think that's fair to say. Whereas Toonie, as soon as I met her, I was like, she's going to make me laugh. But I don't know about her yet because she's a bit like me.

She's got, she can have a face on her. We're the same. If she comes down in the morning and she's not in the mood, she's not in the mood. But she makes me laugh. And Kira really got on with her. If Kira gets on with someone, then you do. It is funny that if your mates are friends with someone,

you automatically think they're your friends. I'd give you more of a chance. Straight away. Well, this is literally, it's a podcast all about friendship, about their friendship. I know Kira's one of your closest friends. So that was like a tick. Yeah, 100%.

If Kira's like, yeah, she's all right, I'm like, all right i'm like all right then i'll give her a chance what was your reaction when you found out that they had a podcast together carnage when i came in i don't know what i'm about to walk into they have a podcast together on camp every time they're there yeah true we do like to be together i would come and sit and have a coffee with you because i think you're funny. So that was a positive. But I don't know what's in store for me. I don't know if we're going to have a nice chat

or if you're going to start taking the mic on me. Maybe a bit of both. Maybe a bit of both. I would actually like to check a few things with you, if that's okay, as someone who's known them for longer. Because I've just been getting the impressions and we've been getting to know each other. We've got a WhatsApp group just saying,

I am the only one who's written a net. Hey, you know what? I opened the message this morning and I thought, do I reply? I'm seeing her in five minutes. That'd be weird. Okay, so Ella says that she starts off quite shy and that Les is a little more talkative at first and can speak

to anyone is that right no you're both as shy as each other when I first came to Arsenal wasn't I shy yeah I had to tell people that you was actually nice thanks for having my back no worries I was honestly your lover she's so like such a lovely girl yeah you're definitely shy though yeah I think once you are like in the mix of it all the time. Yeah. You're loud once you know you. Yeah. That's what I said.

I'm shy at first, and then when I get to know people and I feel comfortable, everyone's like, right, shut up now. Like, I'm a bit loud. I've never thought... I've never thought shy. Oh, nice.

Thanks. But less... What I was trying to say was less is better at holding conversations. With a stranger, if you used to meet a stranger, 100% less would carry your conversation. Oh, 100%, that's what I was trying to say.

I wouldn't even know what question to ask. Maybe, what's your favourite carb? Stop asking that now. What is your favourite carb, by the way? Carb as in the food? Yeah. Bread. That was so quick.

Yesterday at lunch, Leah walks over. Z, this is what I mean. I literally told her this yesterday to never tell anyone this. No, but this is something you would do. She walks over to the plate and it just has four slices of toast on it for lunch.

That's it. I fancied a bit of toast. Yeah, that's a bit of me. Just fancied a bit of toast. I told you not to tell anyone that ever, actually. Yeah, but Leah, you're a bit... Yeah, but you're getting backed up here, Leah. Yeah, you're like me, but you're a bit fussy, actually. Yeah, but Leah, you're a bit... Yeah, but you're getting backed up here, Leah. Right, okay.

Yeah, you're like me, but you're a bit fussy with food. Yeah, I just don't. I'm not into it. There'd be like loads of plates, right? Through the Euros, I remember this. And I'd look at one plate and I'd think, that's Leah's. It was like just plain gnocchi. Like six pieces of plain gnocchi. No sauce.

At once. She's been watching me the whole Euros. We're like six weeks in at this point. I can tell. When I'm eating, she's watching me. She goes, is that nice? Yeah. I said, yeah, give it a go. I said, the way Gareth makes it, it's very nice.

You did enjoy it, did you? Yeah, I did. And now I do like gnocchi when I'm on camp. And do you have it plain or do you have a sauce? No, I don't have it plain, no. That's too bad. No, but I have bolognese and I just need extra carbs. Yeah, you are a bit fussy

aren't you I just can't be bothered I like how fast you answered the carb question though because I think we discussed it for a good 15 minutes

yeah yeah we did I don't think we ever got a definitive answer oh we don't know what yours are I said pasta I said potato

I just think a bit of bread like when you go out for dinner no one orders the bread this is what happens to me

we go out for dinner I'll order like bread everyone will laugh like oh there she goes again being plain everyone eats it yeah yeah i only get one slice you have to roll them all yeah so everyone slates it but i think you'd all be all be munching yeah i do love bread at like the start of the meal yeah but then i just take it too far and then i can't eat my main meal yeah you fill up on it you fill up on bread is my point you take it too far it's so good yeah we've actually discussed mary up's allegation that if something went missing on camp it would 100 be ella and less here and she says i quote toonie would thieve and less would distract is that fair? I think that's so sly.

You're really upset by that as well? Yeah. You would do it. I don't know what to say. I don't know how to back you up. I'm trying to back you up but if it was boots or something

it would be you two. No because someone did it to me once I was kicking off I've not got any boots everyone else has got their boots I've not got mine. The girls would tuck them.

Who took them? I can't remember I'm going to i ddweud Keira. Georgia Keira. Yn Saesneg. Ie, mae Georgia yn gwneud rhywbeth fel hyn hefyd. Ie, rwy'n meddwl eu bod nhw'n cael yr awyr gwahanol o'r stic. Mae Mary yn y cwestiwn hwn. Yn bwysig, fyddant yn eu cymryd.

Ie. Roedd hi'n cymryd nhw i'w llwyddo, felly mae hi wedi panis. Felly byddai Georgia ddim yn bwysig, felly mae hi'n debyg wedi mynd allan i'r hyfforddi. Ie. Ie, fe wnaeth hi fynd â fwy o fwytau. Nid oedd yn dweud i chi. Ie. Ie, i'w gwneud yn ffyrdd, rydych chi wedi gwneud hynny am ddwy o amser yn Arsynol.

Rwy'n gwneud hynny, ie, fe wnaeth i'w wneud i Beth. Beth? Fe wnaethwch chi d fair, you've done that a couple of times at Arsenal. I have, yeah. I did do it to Beth. What, you took a boot? Just hit it. Just one. But then I felt bad and I gave it back to her. You're a little trickster. Do you feel, Leah, like as the captain,

that you have sort of a responsibility when you have all of these different personalities, whether you're in camp or in training, that you have to sort of be very professional I think the Euros that was the first time where I was like I'd love to have a good time and then there was also a time where I maybe just had to walk away and go back to my room on my own because I didn't want to see or hear anything but I don't think I think like we're we're very lucky are we not? We have a very responsible group.

Yeah, we do. I have become less sociable since I've been captain. I don't know if that's a direct response or just getting older. I'm not sure. Leave the kids, yeah. When players come in, like we mentioned before, about you guys being a little bit shy, do you feel like you have to bring people out of their shell?

How do you do that? I'm going to be honest. It's not my greatest strength. I just said some really nice things about you before. Oh, did you? I don't think I'm unwelcoming, but I don't. I would wait until we connected over something and then I would go in for the friendship. Yeah.

Oh, you like country music, me too. Well, it's like you read my mind talking of connecting over things and I don't want you to feel left out or like we're going to say it anyway no but look we know that Leah and Les are big country fans I'm partial to a bit of country music what made you embrace it what made you love it I've always loved it I don't know why my grandma me and my grandma go to a lot of concerts together you've they've both met my grandma. She's a cool chick. Yeah.

And we all, I don't know, we just always loved it. We went to a country concert and how many of there was us? 12? Yeah, there was a lot. Is that where you got that? And everyone was dressed up as cowboy hats, yeah. Don't turn your nose up. No, no, no.

Hey, I took it out and we went for some food and I was like, oh, nice, I'll wear that. And I wore it to the meal. To dinner, I sent you a picture. Yeah. You actually went to dinner like it? Yeah. Yeah, then I got a bit embarrassed when I got there,

so I took it off. Do you know what it is? It is you get out of the car and you think, oh, no one else is dressed like this. When there's a big group here and you're all doing it together, it's okay. Yeah. We were very, I feel like, actually, I wasn't tame.

That's a complete lie i was wearing yeah you had we had cowboy boots on yeah yeah oh you were really going for it i wear cowboy boots to most things i think yeah they're in fashion to be fair cowboy boots it's having a moment every genre is incorporating bits of country music it's great to see it having a time yeah i love it love it. I love it. It's so emotional, which is why it's not really appropriate sometimes for a changing room. But on the bus, up and down, everyone's... It's nice. Yeah, and it's a good sing-along, isn't it?

Yeah, I like the odd couple. I think you need to give it a chance more. I've tried, Lee. Have you? I have. I have tried. What are you into? Bashment.

What's that? Bashment. I like your playlist. Not all the country stuff, but... No. What are you into? Bashment. What's that? Bashment. I like your playlist. Not all the country stuff, but... No, do you know what? You're like me. You're like a typical wedding, 50th birthday. Yeah, 80th party.

Yeah. Like my uncle's 60th party. I'm all over that playlist. Yeah. We have talked about Rick Astley on this pod. We've talked about elton john the big coldplay songs yeah we talk a lot about music because it's important and i can imagine in the dressing room and just in general for morale in camp and amongst everything yeah yeah it changes

everything the hardest time to ever play music is after a loss right everyone sits in sorrow and then you think right we need to start we need to get things moving again that's hard it's what do you play like adele and you're crying but you probably would be something like that does your mother know abba will live with me forever because i can i can literally see your face when it comes on in the changing room but then i don't know there's just, like, little... Yeah. Little ones that come up every now and again that have just... You just have a really good time, and then I think that's lodged...

It's in there. Voulez-Vous was another one, wasn't it? Yeah. Voulez-Vous, yeah. That's a big one at Arsenal this year as well. Yeah. Unwritten, Natasha Bedingfield. Natasha Bedingfield?

Yeah. Yeah. Big tune. I feel like you always relate it back to a memory. Last Last by Burner Boy reminds me of the Euros with us. Yeah. We used to love that one, didn't we? Because Serena liked it.

No, just because we always played it. Serena likes Burner Boy, though. Does she? Yeah, she does like Burner Boy. Loves Burner Boy. Does she? Yeah. That's amazing.

I must have missed a lot in the last year. Toonie and Les are obviously best mates and friendship, like I said, it's like the cornerstone of why we're doing this. Do you have that friend who you'd class as a day one? Keira. Yeah. I've known her since I was 12. And I remember I walked into my first camp and we were joint at the hip from then.

Why do you think that was? She was really good at football and I thought, yeah, I want to be her mate. Yeah. I thought, if I'm with her i'm all right yeah it's it's feral when your kids are england in it yeah it is hard um i don't know she just she just makes me laugh like she is funny she could she could call me the worst name in the world and i'd find it funny like i don't know i just i love it and we've like as we've grown up like we've grown up together and we've kind of grown into the same people. You know, like, sometimes you can grow apart, but we've... We're different, but we're, like, I don't know.

Yeah, I think that's what's nice about you two. Like, you're a bit like us two, like, proper opposite people. Yeah. But you just really get on. Yeah. And, yeah, I think Kira's hilarious. I can't say her name. I would say Kira.

Kira. Kira. She thinks you're funny, so that's good. Me and Kira have known each other since I was at City. If Kira says you're a good player, that means the absolute world to you, because she doesn't say it about everyone. Mate, we had a conversation, I told you about this.

Did I tell you about this? I went to Barcelona to see her and we were just having a conversation and I said, do you think I had a good Euros? Do you think I played well at the Euros? She said, well, if you didn't, we wouldn't have won. I said, that's not the question. I said, do you think I had a good Euros? Do you think I played well at the Euros? She said, well, if you didn't, we wouldn't have won. And I said, that's not the question. That's not what I asked her. I said, do you think I played well at the Euros? She said, I don't understand why that's not,

like, wouldn't answer it. And then in the end, she was like, do I think you grew through the tournament? Yeah. I said, cheers, okay, fine. It doesn't matter, we won anyway. But yeah, she's, to get a compliment off Kira is impossible. Impossible. But it means that when you do get one yeah oh yeah yeah yeah you know she means it what would you say

is her best quality and what do you think she would say is yours her best quality is she's like really reserved but i think she's really emotionally intelligent like she won't say much but when she speaks it's like the right time and it's I don't know maybe I'm biased and she's funny yeah she's really funny really I think that comes from the intelligence yeah I don't know what she'd say was my best quality she never told you no she definitely never told me she'd probably say something about like being mature or something. I don't know. I don't know.

I'll ask her. She won't tell me. I'll ask her. And looking back over a friendship that began at the age of 12, over the years, what have been the standout memories, experiences? And not just on the pitch, this could be off the pitch. This is so stupid, but when, you know when you know somebody's your best mate because she used to come down, like we'd go up

and see each other, like I'd go and stay for a couple of days in Rochdale, she'd come down to me and every time she used to come down, I used to have a nap like, you know, like your best mate comes round so I'd just leave her downstairs and I'd sleep. Have a nap? I don't nap

Do you know this about Ella by the way she doesn't know well i do i was just lying one day she's telling better friends um but yeah i don't know she's just like you know when you know somebody's your best mate but we've done we've done some really cool things i mean i've been on holiday with Kieran Moore in the past 10 years than anybody else. So, like, we've had some funny, funny times on holiday. Ibiza, LA. I love the story that she tells about you in LA when you fell off that bike.

Oh, yeah, that's so funny. That kills me. It kills you? It nearly kills you. It was funny. Yeah. She stood at the bottom of this hill, maybe, like, I don't know how,

I'm not even going to try and predict the distance, but she's a fair way in front of me. I've fallen off my bike, going downhill in San Francisco. I've gone over my handlebars and I genuinely thought I was going to die for a hot second. I get up. She screams up from the bottom of the hill, have I got to come back up?

Can you not just come down? I was thinking, right. She had no sympathy and then proceeded to take the mick out of me for the next two weeks when we got to you well she was probably

taking the mick out yeah she was doing impersonations but it really hurt you didn't it it really did hurt me yeah and if she

if she had fallen off her bike we'd have had to fly home 100% the holiday would have been over I was just trying to keep it moving whilst also like dealing with third degree burns

which she would say is alright she'd be like leave soldier master she said it was a graze I said it wasn't you were coming at some speed apparently down that hill I was trying to catch my friends

I was trying to be cool bike buckled you've got to be careful in the hills in San Francisco it's not it's honestly steep I'll never ever never again

never again I'd rather walk I'd rather walk a marathon I don't know how this came up but we somehow got to the fact that you don't hug very much

no we don't you're not huggers yeah they don't and then it came up that you don't hug absolutely not we do like it's like a bit of a...

Kira will be so awkward. She leans her neck in, but doesn't move the rest of her body. I went to see her the other day. I got up and I was so excited to see her. She literally went... And then sometimes she'll pat me on the back. I think Kira's probably a bit like me. But I don't think Kira enjoys hugging.

I don't mind hugging. If she wants if she wants to hug then we hug it's all on her terms yeah basically and then like there's moments then when we have like at a cuddle like euros yeah when the euros first time you see each other or whatever then that's pretty special because then it means something if she hugs me wow wow it's like the compliment special the hug yeah yeah that's like you yeah and yeah you're not very warm hugger no less is a fantastic hugger i love hugging but tuning never wants to that's so sad no i'm joking we're just not that type of friends yeah we're not that's

like we said before if you wanted a hug you'd go to like grace or millie someone else yeah look how far away you're sat on the floor i'm like right on the end of it. That is, to be fair, that is because of where the mics are wired up. If they could be closer. I would sit closer. You would sit, yeah. Sometimes when you've got sore legs, you put them up on the sofa and Les just

touches your feet. Yeah. And also I'm not really that type of person either. You say that you wanted me to sit in there but I don't think I could. But please don't touch me. In fact, Leah actually asked me if I could put a separate chair here. And like, keep me out of the way.

Yeah. That's why I'm, no, I'm kidding. I would love to be sitting there, but alas, here we are. If you, I don't know why I said that. I won't say that again, I'm sorry. Usually words I don't even know what they mean.

I don't know where it came from. Alas. I liked it. I wanted to call Beth even know what they mean. Do you know where it came from? Alas. I liked it. I wanted to call Beth's dog that when she got her dog. Oh, she imagined it all the time. She says it all the time. You're in the park and you'd shout like, alas.

Oh, it'd feel like a mower, yeah. She didn't bite to it, it wouldn't mind me. No. If you had to give the captaincy to either Alessia or Ella. Oh my God. Who would it be and whycy to either Alessia or Ella. Oh, my God. Who would it be and why? 1,000% Alessia.

What? Les was captain once in our U phase group. All she had to do was keep an eye on the set pieces. She lost them all. She lost all the set pieces. No, I never captained again. I lost one copy and they were my copy. Right. Where'd she lose them?

I've gotten better with age, but I'm not very, bit clumsy, bit like all over the place sometimes. Set pieces really aren't the thing to lose either. No. And Germany was staying in our hotel too, weren't they? Right. It was absolutely George's part. So why do you say less then?

Because I feel like if less got angry or had to turn, people would take that seriously. If you got angry, people would laugh at you. 100%. Because I'm always angry. 100%. If you tried to get aggressive, people would find that endearing. Yeah, but I've never heard you get angry before. No, that's what I mean. It would take a lot. Yeah, it would take a lot. What sort of qualities do you need to be a good captain? I don't know. I think the best thing

about a captain is when they listen to the players and like you feel comfortable enough to tell them something about the team that you're maybe

not comfortable to tell the coach or whatever but knowing that that person will do it for you in a way that is eloquent and you're probably

the most eloquent person ever um and then biggest exaggeration ever but you are very good at talking you are leah that can't always be a good thing no we we have quite a balance though as well like we at england's it's a leadership group so it's like there's somebody for everybody i think i think there's people that yeah it's not it's not a me thing it's a it's a group did you feel like when you got made captain it brought anything out of you something new or that you changed in any way I think you just you do have to be a bit more responsible like in life and everything but then that didn't I didn't really enjoy that so

now I'm back to having a good time with the guys love it for anyone watching on YouTube you might have noticed there's a new edition around our living room and Leah you've been busy writing a children's book it's all about time travel and battling ancient Egyptians to get home talk to us a little bit about that how much did you enjoy writing it? I love it so much because I did it with my cousin we we say that we're we want to help them we want to inspire kids and I think we will take the responsibility really seriously about going into schools and stuff so it just made sense to me to write a book that then doesn't

alienate anyone it's very inclusive which is all the things that we stand for as a team I think Leah's a role model to so many young girls and boys like that's so nice for them to be able to read a book that she's written. I just read The Hungry Caterpillar, me, when I was little. Which is a banger, to be fair. Yeah, it's a very good book. If you did have to go through that experience battling the ancient Egyptians with one of these two, who would you choose?

No, I would take Toonie for this. Yeah, I think you'd be good at that. I think we're sort of the same. She's way nicer than me. Let me just put that out there now. I don't want there to be any confusion. But you'd offer something a bit different to how I would behave in a situation, I think.

I think you two would get out quicker than us two. I think we'd just be very like, oh, God. Yeah. Yeah, and you'd make me laugh like, oh, God. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, and you'd make me laugh. You'd really make me laugh. The funniest thing to me about Les is her laugh. Yeah.

That's what makes me laugh the most. I make you feel really good. I would have. I feel so funny. This is the thing, I wouldn't make her laugh, so I wouldn't hear it. No, I laugh at everything. Bethelway says, God, you make me feel so good.

I laugh at all my jokes, and you make me feel so good all my jokes and you say that too you do laugh at all the best jokes you find them funny though I do you do I do find them funny yeah you're an easy person to make life yeah yeah but it makes you feel good yeah you know what someone said to me oh you're so easy to please as though it was a bad thing I think it's a really positive thing. Yeah, why is that a problem? Because you go through life pleased, which is great. I feel like that's why I'm a little bit lost at United now

because I'll say things that I think are funny, no-one laughs and I think, less would I laugh. Oh, that's so funny. It's actually really upset me. I know, so now I don't say a lot of things that would be funny now because you're not there. Don't dampen your side about that. I know, so now I don't say a lot of things that would be funny now. Because you're not there. Don't dampen your shine. I wish you were sad about that, but I'm so happy she's around.

Oh. I hope someone from Man U is listening now and knows to laugh next time. Yeah. I'll make you laugh. Yeah, Mary will be fine. Ever feel like car shopping is designed to make you second guess yourself? Is this a good price? Am I making the right choice? With CarGurus, you don't have to wonder.

They have hundreds of thousands of cars from top-rated dealers and advanced search tools, deal ratings and price history. So you know a great deal when you see one. That's cargurus dot C-A. You mentioned Ibiza, Leah. I was like, the knowing nod there. Yes, yes. We've been planning a trio trip.

Oh, right. I say this. I'm sort of out of line in saying this. We aren't planning a trio trip. You're going, and I'll be there. At the same. You're going and I'll be there at the same time. And I'm going to be there at the same time. At the same time. I'm planning a trip for the four of us to Ibiza this year. We've got our WhatsApp group set up.

Obviously, no one's said anything except for me in it. But this summer, it's quite rare because you've got a fair bit of time off. My friends work nine to five, so they have to book their holiday in and it's like the first time that, normally I'm ringing around like, who's free in two days time? So it's quite nice to have something, but we need to relive.

Oshawa. Yeah, we need to relive Calvin. It's the best party on the island. 100%. My cousin says, Holly, at Christmas, she was like, that's the best.

We were going around at New Year's saying, what's your favourite moment of the year? And she was like, or what's the best thing you've done in your life? And she was like, Calvin Harris. I was like, the best. She was like, I've never been happier. Yeah.

I felt like that. It's the pure euphoria of it. It's the planes overhead. Yeah, that's the great bit. The pyrotechnics, the light show and the visuals change every year. The visual guys are amazing. It's just watching everyone have a good time. Yeah, everyone's

just buzzing. Yeah, it was so good that, wasn't it? We did have a good time. We did. But we'll do it all again this year. But we're doing Ushuaia and then Scrabble. Yeah, we're going to play Scrabble after. You're going to play Scrabble after? You like Scrabble. Yeah, but she ain't playing Scrabble after Ushuaia, I canrabble after? You like Scrabble. Yeah, but she ain't playing Scrabble after us, why are you telling me?

I saw my ass on her anyway. You didn't see me though, did you? Not yet. You didn't see me. Bucket hat on and off I went. Why, sorry, couldn't somebody give me context? Why are we playing Scrabble? Well, you know, we like to have fun.

We like to have a dance, have a sing-along, have a good night. Which is why it's over by 11 and that suits the three of us nicely. Oh, that's the best bit about it. Yeah. 100%. 100%. We're all partial to a board game. I tend to be home by midnight playing Scrabble

and they've said they want to join. Lovely. Yeah. And we're going to go yoga in, where was it? Crystal Mountain. Crystal Mountain. Yeah. Crystal Mountain. It's like you. join lovely yeah and we're gonna go yoga in where was it crystal crystal mountain yeah crystal mountain it's like you you're gonna go yoga i'm gonna do yoga on crystal mountain okay okay cat and camel there's no cows in ibiza there is no cows there's not a single cow and ibiza no camels either is there

there's no camels but yeah true there isn't just just in case you're wondering there's no cows and ibiza there was once but it didn't last very well because of the terrain so they have to bring the beef in from the mainland wow what a full of facts i won't forget that ever that fact um do you know how many pigeons there are in the world? 400 million. Just another fact. Feminine of the sky. It's not related to anything.

It's not related to any of these questions. It's just a thing I know. Can you remember your first girls' holiday? Yeah, I can. It was just me and Kira. 2017, so how old was I? Went to Ayia Napa, just me and her. And she will tell this story.

I basically, I left her for dead. These guys chased us. And as we come around the corner, I clipped her heels. And carried on running. And carried on running. And then stood in the hotel like, come on. And she'll bring it up to this day that I left her. But we had a really good time.

No wonder she left you on the hill after the vibe. Yeah, it was payback. She says I've done it to her a couple of times, actually. So she fell down and then had to carry you on her back. We turned and as I've turned back, you can hear our flip flops. We turned this corner and I said run. So we ran. And then I've turned back to look where they are.

And that's what she doesn't. She doesn't believe that to be true. She thinks I deliberately clipped the heels. I've literally swiped her. She's gone sliding across the tiles. And she's like, I don't know, 100 meters from the hotel door. I just kept going. I was like, listen.

You fall behind, you stay behind. Yeah. All you've got to be is not the slowest in a group in the situation like that. Yeah. Talking of the group dynamic, Les, you said that the best way to bond is to just get all the girls down to the pub,

just chat, you know, just have that night together. What has been your favourite night out as a team with all the girls? Ooh, I'm not sure. The one after the Euros was good. I think the one after the Euros, because we made that plan regardless. Yeah. Like, we would have been going there.

I mean, people probably would have pulled out. But, like, we made that plan. So then to win and then go. And we did it good. Like, we still went for dinner. Yeah. And then we lost once. Yeah. And I went on. Slowly they would they would remember we had a conversation in ibiza because we went to ibiza like straight after that and i said to you

you've got what i say i was like you've probably got about two weeks grace yeah it doesn't matter whatever whatever you do no one's gonna care because you've just won the euros but after that don't miss about yeah that was real talk yeah in the middle of calvin yeah um no the euros was a good night like we literally went to a holiday inn like a function room and everyone's families like as many people as you want came um but the night after the euros when we walked back in that room oh and all of our families were there that was unbelievable live band yeah that was so good like we had a cake like it was like a wedding yeah it was literally like a wedding yeah you know it was nice everyone's families had really bonded throughout the summer like they were all like bezies so it was nice for them to to celebrate

together as well they'd followed us up and down the country and yeah that was a special night and it felt like everyone was on the dance floor the whole time yeah i got told off i went to bed kira text me saying i can't repeat what she said but like basically gap downstairs now so let's come back down like a zombie when you walk in that, do you get to carry the trophy in? Yeah. Did you carry it in? No, I had the boom box. Oh, yeah, like that.

Yeah. The thing is, trophies do actually get lost and damaged. Do you know what made me laugh then? When we were on the stage after and everyone was celebrating, so, like, I think Leah probably lifted it, and we all, like, jumped up. There's a video and Les jumps up and a medal just goes smack. I had a little cut in my eye it's so good yeah you were so sad at the same time it really hurt you shout and you're like my medals hit me in the head and everyone's like

free from desire see Caroline whatever they were well. Yeah, they're thick. Mine's completely done for. It's got so many bite marks. And little chips on it. One's probably from my eyebrow. Who's the last one on the dance floor? Chloe Kelly. My feet get sore.

That's because they wear heels. When I don't wear heels, I can last a lot longer. Chloe Kelly was the last on the and she doesn't drink yeah maybe that's why she's a good dancer yeah dancing her whole family i love that yeah they i left them about four i think i think i left all my mates down there don't know what time they went oh my god they were crying i was sat with them crying their eyes out crying happy tears they just cry all the time. Every time they had a drink, they're crying about something. It's the night out cry.

It was so funny. And I don't want to hear them when they start doing that. You'll never remember the reason for the tears, but... No. I'll never forget one of my favourite parts of the night was my uncle was there and he had an England flag painted on his board. He had an England flag painted on his head.

And Toonie's mate was stood on the table that we were sat on and he had an England flag painted on his head and Toonie's mate was stood on the table that we were sat on and he was sat down. She was wiping the paint off his head and repurposing it. I walked over and thought, what the hell is happening here? Anything just went that night. Everyone was doing their maths. Yeah, it didn't matter. No, it didn't matter. May there be many more nights like that. I love it. Every episode is, of course, an opportunity for you to get involved in the conversation.

You get to ask Ella and Alessia anything you want. And obviously for this episode, we've got the bonus of having the England captain here too. So this question is for all of you. This one's from Tracy Lily Fiss, who asks, if you could spend 24 hours

as someone else from the england squad who would you pick and why i would love to be in hempo's head for 24 hours that's a good one that love it or hate it yeah and i don't know how i'd feel about it by the end but that girl she's away with the fairies. Yeah, she's so funny. I just think she must be so carefree. Yeah. In her life. Honestly, I would pay to be inside of her head for a day. That's low on hair. Yeah.

I would love to go into Millie Turner's head for the day. Oh, that would be a good one. I would love to know what she's thinking because sometimes we can't even tell half the time. I think Lucy Bronze. Yeah. I think the same with that. Sometimes she just does random stuff and I'm like,

what were you thinking today? I think that would be a good one. Well, this has been the chance to get into all of your heads. I've absolutely loved it. I genuinely cannot thank you all enough for letting us in. Leah, thank you for being our first guest. Honestly, thanks for having me The bar is high

That's the end of the last episode of our first season Am I on the finale? Yeah finale We ended with a bang Get the listeners wanting more Tell the BBC that you want more and we'll hopefully see you right here

at some point in the future. But for now, this has been the Toonie and Russo Show with me, Vic Holtz. Woo! Thank you so much for watching this episode of The Pod. We've got loads of episodes. They're all available for you to listen on BBC Sounds or you can watch them on YouTube.

And remember, you can catch the podcast Miss Me with Nikita Oliver and Lily Allen also on BBC Sounds. See you later. Thank you so much. Euro 2024 is coming. More twists, more turns. From June the 10th, the Football Daily podcast turns its full attention to the international stage.

It'll be your daily dose of Euro analysis, debate and news as we bring you all the action with some of the biggest names in the game from Germany. Here he goes for the free kick. It's in! We'll be at the heart of both the England and Scotland camps, bringing you exclusive interviews with the players and managers throughout the tournament. Nobody saw this coming!

So join us and get ready for a Euros like no other on the Football Daily. Listen on BBC Sounds. Ever feel like car shopping is designed to make you second guess yourself? Is this a good price? Am I making the right choice? With CarGurus, you don't have to wonder. They have hundreds of thousands of cars from top-rated dealers and advanced search tools, deal ratings and price history. So you know a great deal when