Tim Lovejoy reveals he's called out for 'woke nonsense' after suggesting Soccer AM wouldn't run Soccerette feature if show was on air now

Tim Lovejoy has revealed that he has been called out for 'woke nonsense' for suggesting that Soccer AM's famous Soccerette feature wouldn't run if the show was still broadcast today. The Soccerette feature was introduced in the late 1990s and lasted for several years, and would see a young female fan modelling a shirt in front of the 'Fans of the Week' while being interviewed by Lovejoy. Lovejoy would ask the woman their relationship status, with fans cheering if they said 'single' or booing if they had a partner or were married. The woman was also asked how old they were, with their response being met with fans shouting 'great age'.

The woman would then line up in the middle of Lovejoy and a fan, with the trio strutting the catwalk to music and cheers from the assembled crew. 'There's been a backlash,' Lovejoy admitted on the latest episode of Soccer A-Z. 'We talked about Soccerette and [social media user] Smithy says "Don't be woke nonsense, Tim." I said "I don't think we would do it in this day and age," and people are not happy about that at all!.

Former Soccer AM host Tim Lovejoy has admitted he 'cringes' at the old Soccerette feature, though Helen Chamberlain points out that they all applied. The Soccerette was frequently asked innuendo-strewn questions including about relationships. Chamberlain (left) and Lovejoy (right) were among the early hosts in the late 1990s. 'They're calling me Woke Nonsense, Woke Nonsense Tim.'. However, Lovejoy adds that plenty of former fans and Soccerettes alike had positive memories of the segment: 'Interestingly I've had some statements from Soccerettes.

'Claire says: "I loved my experience as a Soccerette back in September 2000. Still have the T-shirt and it fits, too.". 'Nicky says: "I was a Soccerette back in the day and bloody loved it". Sarah says: "Loved being a Soccerette and was also asked to go on to be a beer wench". What the hell was that?'. 'Amy says: "I always wanted to be a Soccerette. Had my outfit and practiced the walk up and down the hallway all the time. Ah, a different time!'.

After Soccer AM was axed in 2023, PR guru Mark Bowkowski told MailOnline the cult TV show 'ran out of steam', with 'brash and laddish' features such as the Soccerette no longer proving as popular as they once did. Reflecting on how he now feels about doing the Soccerette feature on a weekly basis, Lovejoy told the Mail's podcast Soccer A-Z that it would not have a place in the modern world. 'We would never do it now,' he admitted. 'I cringe sometimes when I look back at some of them because they're not really suitable for today's world.'.

The show had a number of controversial segments, which were either toned down or dropped. Veteran Hollyoaks star Jennifer Metcalfe appeared on the Soccerettes section of the show. However, Soccer AM legend Tubes insisted the women themselves really wanted to be on the show and would write letters to apply to go on. 'The girls enjoyed it. They loved coming on,' he said. 'That's the key for me, they all applied,' Chamberlain added.

And Lovejoy revealed how the catwalk was his part of the segment - even if the men weren't the best at it. '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,' he said. 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!'.

Soccer AM proved to be a huge hit for Sky. The 90-minute football comedy show included a variety of segments as well as sitdowns with some of the game's biggest players and managers. Russ Williams and Chamberlain were the original hosts, before Lovejoy replaced Williams two years in. S is for Soccerettes!Who here remembers this infamous segment on Soccer AM? By Tim's own admission, he now cringes when thinking about what they used to do here.Catch all this and more on the latest episode of Soccer A-Z, available wherever you get your podcasts. pic.twitter.com/1CXQEdpju7.

Gemma Atkinson was also from the soap and took part in the now-cancelled feature. The dated elements of the show were blamed for its demise as YouTubers created similar content. Lovejoy, who hosted it through until 2007 before being succeeded by Andy Goldstein, and later Max Rushden, would regularly cause havoc in one of the many segments he came up with. Soccer AM was the first live show on Sky to have to go on a broadcast delay due to lewd references and swearing. What started as a three-second delay soon became 10 seconds.