Helen Chamberlain reveals sexual harassment she suffered at football grounds while hosting Soccer AM
Former Soccer AM presenter Helen Chamberlain has revealed the horribly intimidating sexual harassment she used to suffer from football fans at matches.
Former Soccer AM presenter Helen Chamberlain has revealed the horribly intimidating sexual harassment she used to suffer from football fans at matches.
The 57-year-old Torquay United fan said she used to face regular chants of get your t**s out for the lads and even Chamberlain is a lesbian, she takes it up the a***.
The broadcaster, who hosted Soccer AM for 22 years from 1995 until 2017, added that the abuse was horribly intimidating but something you just had to deal with.
Chamberlain became known for presenting Skys light-hearted Saturday morning football talk show which was popular for its fun games and celebrity guests.
She was regarded as a pioneer for women in football broadcasting in an era when the mens game was almost exclusively spoken about by men on television.
But she said her stardom also attracted a a lot of hollering and shouting and stuff at games, which she felt unable to call out because it would have made things worse.
Former Soccer AM host Helen Chamberlain appears on ITVs This Morning on September 18
Helen Chamberlain hosted Sky football show Soccer AM for 22 years from 1995 until 2017
Speaking on the new Away Days with Woody and Piers podcast, Chamberlain said: I used to get invited to a lot of games and I used to say yes, Ill come and join you for dinner, because theyd want me to go for the meal.
Id say yeah, alright, Ill go, but I need to go round the away end afterwards - I will not sit in your directors box with you. I need to go round where those 28 people [Torquay fans] are stood over there, I need to go over there.
The worst thing was is a lot of times Id have the meal and theyd say well to get over there, youve got to walk round the pitch.
Oh, the amount of pitches – and the game was nearly kicking off, everybody would be ready, and Id be trudging round the pitch with a couple of stewards to massive choruses of get your t**s out for the lads, which I cannot believe we just let go for so many years – that it was just a thing that you had to go yeah, yeah, alright, fine.
The one that I… Cardiff away, theyd put the little pocket of rowdies right on the corner of the away… was Chamberlain is a lesbian, she takes it up the a***. I mean I just dont get it… for 90 minutes.
Helen Chamberlain promotes the Triumph England Soccer bra at Trafalgar Square in 2004
Chamberlain is pictured in the away end at Barnet in June 2001 watching her beloved Torquay
Chamberlain – fondly known as Hells Bells - left Soccer AM seven years ago, and said modern-day fans have a better awareness that such sexual harassment is just a s***ty thing to do.
Speaking further about the abuse, she continued: I find it amazing... I know we can all use that excuse of oh, it was a different time back then. But it was just something that happened that you just had to deal with.
If Id stood up and said stop doing that, its not very nice, it would have been worse. So you just had to pretend you were OK with it. Obviously its horribly intimidating.
Im quite a shy person – I know people say yeah, right – but honestly, growing up, Im quite a shy person and sometimes I get over that by being a little bit louder because inwardly, Im actually going Oh, Im really intimidated and dont want to be doing this, so if you just blah head on, you can bluff your way out of it, bluff your way through it.
Chamberlain was on Soccer AM from 1995 until 2017, and Tim Lovejoy between 1996 and 2007
Chamberlain at the FA Trophy final between Ebbsfleet and Torquay at Wembley in May 2008
Chamberlain added that she never suffered any abuse from fans of her team Torquay, and had always been treated brilliantly by them.
But she said of other supporters: There was just a lot of hollering and shouting and stuff, which wasnt very nice. It just wouldnt happen now. It just wouldnt happen. I think people are more aware its just a s***ty thing to do.
Soccer AM, which Chamberlain hosted alongside Tim Lovejoy, was cancelled by Sky in May last year after 28 years on air.
The final presenters were John Fendley and former footballer Jimmy Bullard.
During its run, the show aired numerous high-profile interviews with top football players, politicians and singers – and also featured humorous segments including Skill Skool and The Crossbar Challenge.
Despite its popularity, the shows Soccerette segment was axed in 2015 after it came under fire for being outdated.
Chamberlain plays the drums with Torquay fans in the away end at Northampton in 1995
Chamberlain with Gabby Logan (left) and Lisa Rogers (centre) promoting Strip 4 Shelter, a football fundraising event for the homeless charity Shelter, in London in August 2000
The feature saw young females as Soccerettes come onto the show modelling a Soccer AM T-shirt and then face questioning from the presenters.
The Soccerettes would be asked if they were single or in a relationship with their answer influencing the response they would likely receive. If they said they were single, they would often be met with cheers from those in the studio.
Chamberlain and Lovejoy have recently started co-hosting a weekly Mail podcast called Soccer A-Z, which sees them take a nostalgic and irreverent look at the past and present of football.
Away Days with Woody and Piers is a new podcast about following your football team which features two drummers - Plymouth Argyle fan Chris Woody Wood from Bastille, and Southend United supporter Piers Hewitt from The Boxer Rebellion.
