ITV FA Cup final presenter Laura Woods defied online trolls and stood up to Jose Mourinho on her journey to TV stardom
ENGAGING, insightful, entertaining, professional, feisty... Laura Woods has become the definitive radio and TV sports presenter.
The award-winning host regularly brightens up talkSPORT listeners' mornings with her personality, knowledge of the sporting world and ability to mix it up in the banter stakes with Ally McCoist, Jamie O'Hara and Co.
Woodsy, as she is affectionately called by her colleagues, has also become ITV's go-to for their football coverage - meaning this Saturday's FA Cup final couldn't be in better hands.
The 35-year-old has come a long way from scoring a job as a runner on Sky Sports in 2009.
And the confident Dagenham-born Arsenal fan has shown courage through the years in dealing with sexist trolls determined to bring her down on social media.
First job
Laura graduated from Kingston University in 2009 after studying print journalism.
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Following work experience at the Croydon Advertiser, she scored her first job at Sky Sports, reporting to their Isleworth studios as a runner.
Putting in the time, she would graft her way up to editorial assistant, assistant producer, associate and producer.
A flair for presenting showed when Laura began working in front of the camera doing behind-the-scenes interviews for Sky Sports' darts coverage on their YouTube channel.
Wanting to do more than produce, she took a camera out with her, recorded footage, edited it together, and impressed TV chiefs with her natural talent. Online, it proved to be a big hit too.
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Laura was then chosen to front Saturday morning kids' show Game Changers, where she was the guinea pig for all sorts of daft experiments, including rollerskiing and smoothie biking.
Her love for the NFL started at Sky Sports, before she scored a pitch-side reporter role on Super Sunday.
It was interviewing football's elite where she encountered her most difficult customer, Jose Mourinho.
'Looked into my soul'
Laura was tasked with questioning the ex-Tottenham manager, after Harry Kane saw a goal disallowed for Spurs. The Portuguese wasn't happy about the decision, and let her know about it.
Recalling the incident to Ian Wright on Wingmen, she said: "Harry Kane had just a scored a goal that was ruled out or something like that. Wrighty, he was looking into my soul! He was looking into my soul and he didn't like what he saw. That's how I felt.
"Anyway, I started the interview, asking him questions and he immediately flipped it back on me and went, 'Well, what did you think?' And I was like, 'Right, I have to put my big-girl pants on here'.
"And I was like, 'It's not about me, it's about you. No one cares about my opinion'. [Mourinho replied] 'Well I care, what did you think?' And I agreed with him but I just thought I had to hold my own."
Woods was adamant it was a test of her mettle - something that has stood her well as her career has progressed.
She continued: "I think he was testing me but I like him as well. I miss him when he's not around, like I miss that personality. That job, for any football fan looking in, it looks like a really simple job but it's not."
talkSPORT
In 2020, Laura became the main presenter for talkSPORT's breakfast show, splitting duties with Alan Brazil.
She was the perfect choice, combining a deep knowledge of all sports with an unparalleled wit, and has the perfect foil in McCoist - with the pair proving to be a ratings winner.
But, not everyone thought she was a good choice at first. She was the target of online trolls who claimed she only got the job because of her good looks. Amusing considering it was radio.
"I accept that as presenters we are putting ourselves out there; we’re essentially targets," she told .
"I’m learning to live with it because that’s part of our job. You’re never going to please everybody.
"It would hurt me a lot more if I took it all to heart, so I take it with a pinch of salt now as much as I can. The people with something bad to say will always shout the loudest, so I have learnt to care less about the reaction."
Goodbye Sky, hello ITV
In 2022, Woods finally said goodbye to Sky Sports.
Following her departure, it was announced she would join former American football stars Osi Umenyiora and Jason Bell to present ITV's Friday night NFL highlights show.
A few months later, she was named as one of ITV's World Cup presenters in Qatar, alongside seasoned hand Mark Pougatch.
Grumpy Des Lynam moaned in an opinion piece for the Telegraph about her familiarity with pundit Ian Wright, when she called him Wrighty during the coverage of Senegal v Netherlands and how it made him "wince".
Laura bit back on Twitter: "Jeez, of all the things covered this is what made Des wince?"
Wright, himself, leapt to her defence. Not that she needed it. "How’s Des vexed that Laura called me ‘Wrighty’!!! Looking for something negative to write," he wrote on social media.
Today, she balances her ITV role alongside work with DAZN, where she reports on boxing and the Women's Champions League for the streaming service, as well as Amazon Prime Video where she presents their Premier League output.
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There is talk of a return to Sky, replacing Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday. While industry rumours suggest she is the frontrunner to take over from Jake Humphrey at BT Sport, which is soon to become TNT Sports. You feel she could ace both jobs.
Ever ambitious, talented and a consummate pro, Saturday's Cup final won't be served better than with Woods at the helm introducing the coverage.