Ashley James has revealed a This Morning co-star reckons she’s scarier than a world leader after becoming known for her ability to hold her own in fiery debates.
Often speaking for the underrepresented communities, she has become a voice for the people, and has scored immense praise for her respectful and eloquent delivery while debating the likes of culture wars.
It’s not just on the ITV daytime show that she’s fighting the good fight and putting the world to rights as Ashley also uses her social media account to be an ally to many.
In fact, the 37-year-old, who is collaborating with Barclays ahead of the Biggest Ever Football Session to promote The FA’s equal access in school ambition, has revealed one of her co-stars thinks she’s tougher to debate with than those actually ruling the world.
In an interview with Metro, when asked if the clashes on TV ever get too much for her, she explained: ‘No, the best thing about getting to do This Morning is that you are put on a sofa with someone with a different opinion because it allows healthy debate and I think it’s really important in an era of culture wars and division to show that two people can really respect each other and debate things, and also that we learn through different opinions.
‘So for people at home, it’s not like I’m telling people that my opinion is right, but I’m maybe making them consider an experience or a perspective that they haven’t experienced before or thought of before, so therefore they’ll change their opinion.’
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Ashley flagged one example of women she’s spoken to who wouldn’t identify as feminists because they consider it ‘extreme feminism’, but when she then questions them on what extreme feminism is, they have no answer, having not thought about it.
‘We have to be able to have conversations to be able to implement positive change,’ she continued.
‘But I love doing This Morning, and especially with Nick Ferrari – we have such different opinions. But he is really respectful towards me, and gives me the floor to and I like to think I change his mind.
‘We have a joke that he can interview world leaders, but no one’s more scarier than Ashley James.
‘That is also how we keep fighting for equality. Just keep using our voice and offering different opinions.’
Over the years, Ashley found her voice through ‘insecurities and setbacks’, and became ‘angrier, more determined’ to make a difference.
But as a child, she admitted, she was certainly ‘opinionated’, though felt ‘dismissed as being bossy or being told I was too loud’, remarking that it’s often girls who are told that.
‘Hopefully I’m showing women and girls who watch that show that it’s okay to have an opinion and deserve an opinion,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks – an opinion is an opinion, and we can all make positive change by using our voice.’
Having first started using her voice at the age of 16 during an internship for BBC Radio Cumbria, to featuring on various reality TV programmes and becoming a DJ, Ashley admitted she thinks it took a long time for people to take her voice ‘seriously’ or give her a platform to use it.
She then added: ‘Now I feel really proud that I can hopefully show other people that they can have a voice and also enjoy girly things and still be taken seriously.
‘I don’t think women and girls should have to choose. Girls can like Taylor Swift and still want to take part in a session. And we’re trying to break down those outdated stereotypes that girls can be one thing or the other in all walks of life.’
Sometimes, it can feel like the world is going backwards and we’re not really progressing, but Ashley revealed that although she many not always be able to stay positive on such powerful issues, she’s channelling her anger into something positive.
She said: ‘Whether that’s being on This Morning and trying to use my voice, use facts and offer a different opinion to try and change people’s minds and push us forward, or going into Parliament, I think it’s channelling all that worry and concern and anger into something positive.
‘And I feel really grateful that I have the platform and community, both on This Morning but also on my social media to be able to feel like I can make a difference.
‘That’s the thing for all of us, we can all make a difference by using our voice, and it feels like never has there been a more important time to keep using it and keep fighting.’
Ashley is a parent to Alfie, three, and one-year-old Ada with her partner Tommy Andrews.
Not only does she want to be a role model for her youngest, but the star revealed the importance of her son growing up with a strong, positive, female role model, stressing the significance of the work she does and the campaign she’s partnering with.
‘I want my son to grow up seeing women represented and seeing strong, positive, female role models, and not just in the women’s game, but also in the men’s game.
‘I think it’s really great that there are so many male allies involved in this campaign as well, and for my son to see women represented in the men’s game, so hopefully a lot of those outdated sexist attitudes disappear.’
She added: ‘No matter what happens, I want my children or my grandchildren or whoever it is to be able to look back and be like, “Oh she spoke up and she did her bit and she used her voice.”‘
Collaborating with The FA and Barclays for the Biggest Ever Football Session holds a special meaning to Ashley, not only for promoting representation of women and girls in sports, but having come from a family of ‘massive football fans’.
‘I grew up with it, my dad had the same seats at Newcastle United since he was young, and I started going to games when I was three,’ she told us.
However, she never felt represented. She said: ‘I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest men’s football fan, but my sister is, and growing up, I never really felt represented.
‘I always saw it as a very male-dominated space, both in terms of playing obviously – like none of us played football at school – but also in terms of watching it as sport.
‘It had very sexist attitudes, and I think it’s been amazing to see the shift in the last few years that so many women are represented in men’s sports.’
She pointed out Alex Scott now being one of the biggest inspirations but commented that seeing the Lionesses on television as a young girl would have changed how welcoming the space felt for her.
‘But it’s the same for anything, isn’t it?’ she continued. ‘It’s like if we’d have seen more astronauts or scientists, and I think that’s why it’s such an exciting time that not only will my daughter hopefully grow up and see that she can be anything, but also my son will grow up seeing that girls can be anything.’
Returning to football, Ashley recalled being ‘fascinated’ with the women’s game after the success of the Lionesses, leading her to follow them at an international and a club level.
‘I feel like there’s this really nice atmosphere at women’s sports, and I spend a lot of time with the work that I do with young girls.
‘I said to a group of eight-year-olds recently, “What’s your favourite thing about being a woman now?” And they were like, “Oh, that we get to play football at school, and that we get to wear shorts”.
‘It really made me realise what a difference representation is making, and the fact that they’re growing up, and their role models and heroes are footballers and commentators.
‘What I love about The FA is the fact that they are putting so much focus on the campaign, and I thought what’s really great about the Biggest Ever Football Session is it not only focusing on women playing sport but also being involved in sport in another capacity.
‘Lots of people might love football, but might not be the best players, or might not have the confidence to play, but they might be fascinated in becoming a journalist or a referee, and so I think it’s such an amazing thing to get behind and I feel like I’m really excited – especially in a world that sometimes feels like we’re going backwards – to see companies putting their names behind equality and I’m seeing the excitement of girls.’
The FA, in collaboration with Barclays, are holding the Biggest Ever Football Session (BEFS), across schools up and down the country today. The flagship day in the calendar is central to The FA’s equal access in school ambition. You can find out more information here.
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