Jill Louise Scott was born on 2 February 1987 in Sunderland, England, and grew up in Fulwell with parents Doreen and Bryan and three siblings. She attended Monkwearmouth Comprehensive School before earning a BTEC National Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science at Gateshead College, followed by a University of Sunderland foundation degree in sports and exercise development.

Scott had an 18-year professional career as a midfielder, playing for Sunderland, Everton and Manchester City, and won 161 caps for England — the second-most in the sport’s history at the time of her retirement. She was part of England’s title-winning squad at UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 and won major domestic honours with Manchester City, before retiring from football in August 2022.

Since retiring, Scott has become a team captain on Sky’s A League of Their Own (from 2023) alongside Jamie Redknapp and works as a football pundit across several UK broadcasters. She also won the 22nd series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! on ITV in 2022, was a contestant on Taskmaster, and launched a podcast, Long Story Short, with Karen Carney in 2025.

Scott has been engaged to her long-term partner, Shelly Unitt, since March 2020; the couple co-own a coffee shop, Boxx2Boxx Coffee, in Manchester. She has no children.