Leah Williamson to become first female footballer to read CBeebies Bedtime Story

Captain of the England women’s football team Leah Williamson is set to become the first female footballer to read a CBeebies Bedtime Story.

The 25-year-old Arsenal captain led the Lionesses to victory in the Euro 2022 final against Germany last summer.

Williamson will read Remarkably You by Pat Zietlow Miller, an uplifting story that reassures children that being different and unique is something to be celebrated.

Ahead of the broadcast, Williamson said: “I had so much fun reading this book for CBeebies Bedtime Stories.

“I hope it encourages the little ones watching to use their passions as their superpower.”

Her reading comes ahead of the FA’s Women’s Football Weekend, dedicated to supporting women’s teams across the sport.

Williamson joins a host of famous faces who have previously read CBeebies Bedtime Stories, including fellow sports stars Harry Kane, Anthony Joshua and Jessica Ennis-Hill.

Singer Dolly Parton and actors Tom Hardy, Ryan Reynolds and Kate Winslet have also each read stories for the BBC’s channel aimed at children under the age of six.

Last month Williamson announced she had signed a three-book deal with Macmillan Children’s Books.

It will be followed by two fiction titles – one set for release later in 2023 and one in 2024.

Last year, Williamson was made an OBE for services to association football and was an honouree at the British GQ Men of the Year Awards.

A mural celebrating her Euros victory was unveiled in her home town of Newport Pagnell, near Milton Keynes, in August last year.

In January, it was announced that she had been nominated for the Best Fifa Women’s Player award.

Williamson will read Remarkably You on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer on March 24 at 6.50pm.