Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Former rugby player turned broadcaster, 2014 World Cup winner and MBE recipient, hailed as the best female player of her generation.
On the island
Eight records
Fast CarFavourite
This number one is Fast Car by Tracy Chapman and I've selected this one because it pretty much represents my my upbringing. So I grew up in a council state, single parent family and all I wanted to do was almost find a way out and this song just represents that.
Samuel E. Wright with the original Broadway cast of The Lion King
This is They Live in You from the Lion King. So I love going to musicals and I've seen The Lion King probably about five or six times in various different countries to be honest. And I love this song because it very much represents legacy, having an impact and seeing those that have made an impact in your life. And now that I'm a parent, I always think about my children and then one day looking up to the stars and going, actually, my two mums worked incredibly hard to enable us to be successful.
Stand By Me by Ben E. King and I've selected this disc because it reminds me of my my school period but because I kept hearing it but it also reminds me of my mother. I've been a challenging child throughout my whole entire youth in particular but she really stuck with me regardless of how difficult I became and always believed in me.
My next disc is Woman by Andrea Triana. She talks a lot about being at school, the insecurities that you have, covering yourself up, and that's what it was like for me at school. But then she talks about being empowered, owning it, and being confident in who you are.
Wake Me Up by Evici. Now, I've heard you singing this, Maggie, in the course of my research for this programme. And did I sound great? You sounded amazing. Well, I was part of the BBC Children in Need choir and believe it or not, it went to number one in the UK charts, which I still can't believe.
You Gotta Be by Desiree. I used to listen to this track quite a lot after, you know, England training or coming back from camp when there'd be times when I think, oh, I hadn't performed well, I didn't step up to the mark, I just felt a little bit lacking in confidence. But you listen to that song, you listen to the words, and it just almost made you feel like, I am capable, I am good.
is World in Union by Kiri Takanawa. This song is played at every Rugby World Cup, whether it's the men's or the women's. It's about camaraderie, it's about different nations focusing on, performing, being able to represent your country, put your best foot forward and just deliver. It's such a special song for me.
Coming Out by Diana Ross. We played it when we got married, me and my wife, Marcella Collins, and it was our first dance. And the reason why I love this track is because it was the one moment for both of us, and myself in particular, to go, I'm coming out. Like, this is who I am. Yes, I'm in a same-sex relationship. Yes, I'm a parent. Yes, I am an amazing rugby player. It was just all of it.
In conversation
Presenter asks
2:23You have said that you've always aimed to be number two in your career rather than number one. Why is that?
I have always been a bit of a fighter and the idea of being number one almost seems like I've I've reached my my pinnacle. I think having the perception that you're number two means that you keep pushing, you keep working hard, you keep striving to be better and and never accept. And I think I've stuck with that throughout my life because it keeps me.
Presenter asks
13:46What was daily life like for you and your mum growing up? She must have been working extremely hard to support the two of you.
She worked long hours, so I spent a lot of my time either with a babysitter or a child minder… I had to be quite street-wise. I had to be independent as a result of that. I just sort of managed my own, I guess, progress, managed my own challenges. But I don't regret it. I learnt more about myself and I also am more aware of where I want to go.
Presenter asks
19:17What were the perceptions that you had of rugby before you tried it? What did you think it was going to be like?
It's a male-dominated sport, mainly people for middle-class, white backgrounds. Last thing you'd see would be a black girl from a very poor background taking up a sport that was perceived to be for somebody else.
The keepsakes
The book
Muhammad Ali (with Hana Yasmeen Ali)
I remember reading it during the lead up to the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup and I just loved it. It's a book that has been written in a way that's through the eyes of his daughter Hannah and after and before every chapter there was a quote and the quotes always just kind of kept me motivated and I think I'm going to need that on the island.
The luxury
I'm going to have a picture of my family. So, my immediate family, obviously, my wife, my two children, obviously got one child on the way, so the bump, and then my dog, Nala, and obviously my mother.
Presenter asks
43:21You've taken on lots of new roles since retirement, but the most significant might be becoming a parent. Would you like your children to play rugby when they're old enough?
I really, really, really hope so… I would love for my kids to go down to the rugby club and be part of that community because the rugby community is a special community and we create this rugby family… it's considered to be a sport for both men and women.
“I have always been a bit of a fighter and the idea of being number one almost seems like I've I've reached my my pinnacle. I think having the perception that you're number two means that you keep pushing, you keep working hard, you keep striving to be better and and never accept.”
“As soon as I put that scrum hat on, I was in the zone. I knew what my job was. I knew I had to execute. And it's funny when I got off the field and took my scrum hat off, it's all of a sudden you switch again, you turn into this normal person and you get on with the opposition. But I needed the scrum hat to give me that level of focus.”
“But when I came to rugby and they were like, wow, you've got big arms. Wow, you've got big legs. You are going to be a great rugby player. Playing other sports like netball, I always felt like I didn't have that freedom.”
“When people say you're a great rugby player, I feel so proud as opposed to people saying you're a great woman's rug player. Actually no I was a fairly decent rug player as a whole and it was about me being amazing.”
“You have to stop at some point and say, I'm not going to make it. I haven't failed. I've just I just need to reassess my goals and have a different focus.”
“I'm coming out. Like, this is who I am. Yes, I'm in a same-sex relationship. Yes, I'm a parent. Yes, I am an amazing rugby player.”