Alex Scott ‘honoured’ to become ambassador for domestic abuse charity Refuge

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Former England footballer and sports presenter Alex Scott has vowed to use her position to help others as she takes on the role as a charity ambassador for Refuge, a domestic abuse charity.

The 38 year old ex-Lioness has taken on the privileged role to affect people who are going through violent relationships.

Alex's support for the charity comes after she overheard her father's alleged violent behaviour towards her mother during her childhood.

Alex recently wrote an autobiography detailing her traumatic upbringing.

The charity revealed that Alex, who feels she should have used her platform sooner to speak about domestic abuse, was "generously donating her profits from the book directly to the charity", having been inspired by its work.

Speaking of her new role, Alex said:"It is an incredible honour to be joining Refuge as an ambassador. I first started working with Refuge following the launch of my book, in which I opened up about my experience of domestic abuse as a child."

She added: "Since then, I have learned so much more about the scale of domestic abuse in society and the impact sharing your experience can have on fellow survivors. As an ambassador, I want to use my platform and voice to spread awareness of domestic abuse and ensure that women know what support is available to them."

On the back of the success of Alex's book, her father denied her claims during an interview with the Daily Mail.

In the interview he said: "Perhaps she is judging me by today's standards, I don't know. Parents were a lot tougher back then. But I was never violent, that's just not me. I never beat Alex or anyone else in the family or did anything like that."

Responding to her father's denial during her slot on BBC Radio 4's women's hour, she said: "I almost feel angry at myself that I'm allowing him to hurt me again by those claims of lying."

During the emotional interview she said; "That story from him coming out yesterday takes her [mum] back to a place… hearing the pain and the terror again in her voice last night – that's why I don't know what I can do. But I'm not going to allow him to win no more."

She added: "This book, the reason was to get some peace. And I suppose when you are in peace it gives you a new position of power and that's maybe why he's trying to (respond) right now."

In her autobiography, How (Not) to Be Strong, Alex wrote about hearing her father be violent towards her mother while she and her brother were in bed in their flat in east London. She wrote: "All I could do was lie there and pray my mum would be alive in the morning."

Speaking to Radio 4's Emma Barnett, she added: "(My mum) doesn't know that her two kids are in the room hearing everything. She's trying to be strong in a totally different way, we're trying to be strong for her but can't help her. The visuals are still so there. I couldn't do anything. It's all still so raw. I can visualise it like it was yesterday."

She continued: "Even when my dad left that environment, we never communicated or you don't speak about it, it's like you try to move on with your life and leave that to the side but it never leaves you. That pain and the struggles still continue. I'm sorry I didn't use my voice sooner"

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