Karen Carney has given a rare glimpse into how she shops, saying she is in Reiss “nine times out of 10” and that the brand fits her so well she does not need extra tailoring. The former England midfielder, now a broadcaster and podcast host, also laid out the little things she actually buys, from vegan pasta to watches.
The timing is obvious. Carney has been back in the public eye after winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2025, and the interview turns that fresh spotlight toward the ordinary choices behind her high-profile life. She said she does the majority of her shopping at Sainsbury’s, is vegan, and often picks up Waitrose’s vegan fresh filled pasta because it takes four minutes to boil and works with a splash of olive oil.
Carney’s taste runs practical, but not entirely predictable. She said she would reward herself after Strictly with a black Burberry backpack from Bicester Village and a corduroy cap by Yves Saint Laurent from Rome airport, a mix that sits neatly beside her claim that she values time more than glitz. “I’d rather take people for meals or holidays and make memories with them than glitz and glam,” she said, adding that when it comes to gifts she does not really want anything and would buy it herself if she did.
That preference for straightforward things runs through the rest of what she described. Carney said the presents that impress her are the ones she would never think to buy, and that she is a big watch fan who sees watches as pieces of art. She said she would love a classic, simple watch from 1987, the year she was born, which gives the clearest hint yet that her idea of luxury is less about display than meaning.
There is a small contradiction in that outlook. Carney says she does not need much and would rather spend on shared experiences, yet she also admitted to having quite a few Monica Vinader pieces, including gold and silver bangles and a ring, and to liking the appeal of an item that feels thoughtful rather than showy. She also said her phone, laptop and iPad are all synced, that she owns the Lego Concorde and recently did the London Lego set, which she found therapeutic.
That blend of discipline and everyday taste is familiar from a career that has moved from the pitch to the screen. Carney is England’s fourth most-capped football player, competed at four World Cups, four European Championships and the London Olympics before retiring in 2019, then went on to lead a government review into the future of women’s football in the UK. She has since built a media presence through ITV coverage, co-hosts the podcast Long Story Short with Jill Scott, and has become one of the most recognisable football voices in the country.
For now, though, the sharpest takeaway is simpler than all that: Carney shops like someone who wants things to work, not dazzle. She may have rewarded herself with designer buys after a television win, but her routine sounds closer to a supermarket run, a quick bowl of pasta and a watch that lasts.
