The forward on her role in the hit CBBC drama Jamie Johnson and her journey to Tottenham’s first team
For most football fans, the name Jack Marshall would be of no significance. But for the Tottenham forward Lenna Gunning-Williams the name is synonymous with the start of a compelling – and unorthodox – journey into the world of professional football.
Unlike most professional players in the modern game, the 20-year-old did not get her first taste of academy football until her mid-teens. Instead, she spent the earliest stages of her career juggling grassroots football with an acting job. Between the ages of 11 and 16 Gunning-Williams played a leading role in the hit CBBC football drama Jamie Johnson. Her character, Jack Marshall, was a young girl vying with the boys while dreaming of going pro – something that resonated with the actor herself. “I feel like we actually kind of relate, being young, growing up in football with boys. Our journeys are similar,” the England Under-23s international says as we sit down at Spurs’ training ground.
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