Alex Scott celebrates her 36th birthday with a slew of throwback snaps

Alex Scott celebrated her 36th birthday with a slew of fun throwback snaps on Wednesday, as she looked back at her rise to sporting success.

The Strictly Come Dancing star shared an array of images from her childhood on Instagram Stories, including her version of the ‘How It’s Started’ challenge.

Alex has recently spoken candidly about the horrific trolling she’s face online after being tipped to replace Sue Barker as the host of A Question of Sport, admitting she’s ‘struggled but had to put on a brave face.’  

Among the snaps were several of Alex from her childhood with her siblings, and some from her teenage years.

It seemed the retired footballer turned pundit had been an Arsenal supporter from an early age, as she posed with a pal in their matching shirts.

Alex was also quick to jump on the ‘How It’s Started… How It’s Going’ challenge, going from a football-mad teen to one of the BBC’s top sporting pundits.

Highlighting some of her proudest moments she also shared a snap brandishing her MBE, with another showcasing her hosting this year’s Sport Relief telethon alongside Gary Lineker and Paddy McGuinness. 

She penned the caption: ‘Another year older and wiser yet still so much to learn, see and ACHIEVE!! We keep moving.’

Alex also re-posted snaps from her pals offering their own birthday wishes, including Strictly Come Dancing co-star Michelle Visage.

In recent weeks she has spoken candidly about struggling with horrific social media trolling, after rumours swirled she could be replacing Sue Barker as the host of A Question Of Sport.

On Friday the former England player spoke about struggling to handle the online abuse during a segment on mental health.

Speaking with co-host Jermaine Jenas, she said: ‘Yeah, I think what we’ve heard and with everyone speaking out about it now, is I was trying to hide it. 

‘I was trying to be brave, put on a brave face but I was really struggling and I know it’s now been documented about my mental health issues.

‘It was a really tough time and for me the message is: it’s okay not to be okay. 

‘Everyone goes through different things and it’s a way of dealing with it and I have to thank people who still reach out to me to show their support.’

However she added: ‘But then on the other hand it has been really hard, because of all the abuse and everything I’ve got. I’ve tried to dodge it all this season, to get to the end of the season.

‘And I’m sitting here and I’m like “wow actually, we’ve come to the end of the season and what I’ve had to put up with” — I shouldn’t have to go through that.’

She said: ‘I don’t get the abuse from my colleagues who I’m working with. I feel respected in this environment, but it’s from the other side where people are not in this environment. It has, it’s been really hard to deal with.’