Former England international Karen Carney has lifted the lid on how ITV's World Cup punditry team, including Roy Keane and Laura Woods, bond away from the cameras—by hitting the gym together. Carney, who is part of ITV's coverage in New York, said a core group trains five or six days a week.
Carney, a former Lioness and Strictly Come Dancing winner, said: 'I like to train with the team, so every tournament there's a core group of us that train pretty much at least five or six days a week, and we go to the gym every morning.' She added that some fitness enthusiasts join once and never return, but the regulars keep going.
On her preparation, Carney revealed she researches matches up to two weeks in advance, using scouting systems and watching dozens of games. She has seen hundreds ahead of the World Cup.
Discussing England's chances, Carney said: 'That's the hardest thing, turning silver to gold. Tuchel has openly said “I might not take the best players, I want to take the best group” so it'll be interesting. You need luck, momentum and game changers.' She also tipped Portugal as a team to watch, praising their midfield.
Carney also credited Strictly Come Dancing for rebuilding her confidence after facing online abuse. She said: 'It gave me a lot more confidence to relax into it. You're never going to please everybody, but my team are my priority.'
