QUINS AND RED ROSES WORLD CUP WINNER NOMINATED FOR SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Harlequins and Red Roses Women’s Rugby World Cup winner Ellie Kildunne has been shortlisted for the 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, it was announced today.
The 26-year-old is the first ever female rugby player to be nominated for the prestigious accolade, and the first English rugby player to be among the frontrunners since fellow Rugby World Cup winners Jason Robinson and Jonny Wilkinson in 2007.
Kildunne has endeared herself to the hearts of the world this year via her world-class on-pitch talent and engaging personality off the pitch including her candid podcasts.
Her famously coined lasso dance has inspired fans to proudly wear Red Roses cowgirl hats to cheer on the team throughout the year, while Barbie celebrated her role model status by creating a one-of-a-kind doll of her in a bid to inspire girls into sport.
She scored a hat-trick on her 50th international cap against Wales as England went on to win a seventh consecutive Guinness Women’s Six Nations title in the spring.
Attention then turned to a summer of women’s sport and the Women’s Rugby World Cup on home soil. Kildunne dotted down for two tries in the tournament opener win over USA and proved influential with two stunning efforts in the semi-final against France.
A player for the big occasion, she also ran in a superb try in the World Cup final against Canada as the Red Roses secured their first world title since 2014 in front of a world-record crowd of 81,885 at Allianz Stadium.
“It’s a great privilege to be shortlisted for BBC Sports Personality of the Year,” Kildunne said.
“Whenever you step out on to the field as a Red Rose, you understand the personal responsibility that comes with representing your country and what it takes to achieve something together.
“Winning the World Cup with your best mates is a feeling I can’t really describe.
“There are so many good people around me that have helped guide me on my journey over the past year and I am truly grateful to every single one of them.
“The support from the fans has been incredible. The cowboy hats in the crowd, the amazing messages on social media, the handwritten letters, people turning out in their thousands to watch us… it’s why I love this sport.
“There is now an expectation for us to keep going and keep striving for greater things.
“It makes me excited for my personal journey ahead but also what’s to come for the Red Roses and women’s rugby.”
The 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards – hosted by Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott – will broadcast live from the home of BBC Sport at MediaCity, Salford, on Thursday 18 December, from 7pm to 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
To vote for Kildunne as BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2025, head to bbc.co.uk/spoty. The voting for the main award will open and close during the live show.