Soccerettes footage makes Soccer AM star ‘cringe’ years on from Sky Sports axe
Tim Lovejoy has claimed that he finds some elements of Soccer AM difficult to watch back, with the former Sky Sports presenter admitting that he would “never do it now” on TV
Soccer AM legend Tim Lovejoy has admitted to feeling “cringed out” when reflecting on the Soccerette feature from the now-axed programme.
The show, which first aired in 1994, quickly became a fan favourite on Sky thanks to its tongue-in-cheek nature. Lovejoy and co-presenter Helen Chamberlain were Saturday morning fixtures, becoming renowned for segments like ‘Soccerette’.
That part of Soccer AM featured a young female supporter in a football top answering Lovejoy’s questions about her love life. Depending on her relationship status, the crowd cheered or jeered.
They’d even ask about her age, leading to more audience reactions. She’d then parade down a catwalk with Lovejoy and the fans of the week at her side.
Looking back, Lovejoy confesses that watching some old episodes makes him squirm. He said: “We would never do it now. I cringe sometimes when I look back at some of them because they’re not really suitable for today’s world.”
Despite Lovejoy’s unease, Chamberlain and Tubes have defended the segment, noting that the females who took part all wrote into the show to get their moment of fame.
“The girls enjoyed it. They loved coming on,” insisted Tubes, with Chamberlain adding: “That’s the key for me, they all applied.”
Both Lovejoy and Chamberlain credited the guests as the true stars of the show’s iconic segments. Lovejoy said: “You’d get them up, watching men walk up and down. Why can’t men walk up and down the catwalk!?
“That was the funny bit, I thought, watching these guys trying their hardest to catwalk.”
Chamberlain added: “That was also the nice bit about having a Soccerette in the middle of you two because if it had just been you and a fan, it would have been really ugly to watch every week!”
Lovejoy left Soccer AM in 2007 after a decade of service, handing over the reins to Andy Goldstein and later Max Rushden.
Chamberlain stayed with the team until 2017, marking herself as one of the show’s legendary originals. The show was taken off air nearly two years ago, at the end of the 2022/23 Premier League season.
