Inside Jill Scott’s glam life with fiancee Shelly Unitt – sweet bond with step-daughters to VERY famous coffee shop fans
AFTER three gruelling weeks in the jungle, Jill Scott was crowned queen – and fiancee Shelly couldn’t be prouder.
The England Lioness, 35, has been in a relationship with the community health officer, 37, who has been her biggest cheerleader, for six years.
The sweet couple regularly share loved-up snaps together on their social media pages – while Jill appears to have a close relationship with Shelly‘s two teenage daughters, Evie and Hattie.
And I’m A Celebrity viewers welled up at the letter Shelly sent the retired footballer while she was in camp.
It read: “Hi Jill it’s Shelly, I love you and miss you so much. There isn’t a minute that goes by where you’re not on my mind. I love you so much and now the rest of the world does too.
“This is because you’re such a great person with your positive, kind and encouraging self. I’ll have a flat white waiting for you, love your biggest fans, Shelly, Evie and Hattie.”
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Here we take a look at at their romance and their lives outside of the jungle.
Footy connections
While little is known about how the couple got together, Shelly’s sister is ex-Lioness Rachel Unitt, who has over 100 caps for England.
Rachel, 40, and Jill, 35, both played for Everton Ladies around the same time, with Jill leaving for Manchester City in 2013, so it’s possible Jill met Shelly through her sister.
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Shelly, 37, has always been supportive of her fiancee’s sporting career and regularly shared snaps singing her praises.
She was a familiar face at matches, cheering her on with her daughters, and all three have England tops with Jill’s name and number on.
Student Evie, 18, and Hattie, 14, both appear to have welcomed Jill into their family.
They’re often snapped out having dinner together as a family, while Jill also posts photos of the girls on her social media, calling them “my team”.
Before Evie headed off to university last year, Shelly shared a post joking she wasn’t sure how Jill will cope without her stepdaughter’s hair and make-up skills.
Jill replied: “I really won’t! Come back already,” followed by a sad face emoji.
As well as sunny holidays as a foursome to places like Milan, Jill and Shelly make time for each other, with romantic couples trips to Nice, Madrid, Barcelona and Split in Croatia.
Jill has also whisked Shelly away on mini-breaks in the UK – most recently a spa break in Windermere, Cumbria.
They announced their engagement in March 2020 – just before lockdown – and months later welcomed Winnie the British Bulldog to their family.
The chocolate and tan pooch is doted on by the couple as well as Shelly’s children.
Booming business
As well as putting a ring on it, the couple made things official by buying a cafe together called BoxxtoBoxx in Manchester, where they live in a stylish home decorated in white and grey.
The coffee shop, which opened in April last year, is often decorated with things to support Jill – most recently jungle attire and “Vote Jill” splashed across the windows.
It also has a permanent portrait of the footballer on the wall which has her signature on it.
It’s not just the average fan heading in either, as Jamie Redknapp, pundit Micha Richards, and Kevin de Bruyne have popped in to get their caffeine fix.
Jill’s stint on I’m A Celeb has seen the cafe do a roaring trade – and they’ve recently been selling Vote Jill hoodies.
Shelly said: “My goodness me, the vibe is huge in Manchester and it is getting crazier and crazier at the coffee shop we own, which is good thing for us as a business.
“When Jill is in the shop she likes to muck in and make the drinks.
“We are selling hoodies with Vote Jill and profits will go to our chosen charity.”
Next chapter
Prior to her going into the jungle, Shelly and Jill attended the Pride of Britain awards – mingling with EastEnders stars, while the Lionesses picked up the Inspiration award.
Shelly also picked up a lifetime achievement award for Jill at the North West football awards while she on I’m A Celeb.
Now Jill is Queen of the Jungle, lucrative endorsement and life-changing TV deals are expected to flood in – but finally getting married is likely to be high on their to do list.
A source told the Mirror: “Jill is being loved by the audience, as we
hoped she would be. People are seeing the funny and courageous person that fans of women’s football already know and love.
“Her team has been bombarded with offers. She also has her coffee shop in Manchester and likes to work there, but she’ll struggle to fit in shifts with the amount of work on offer elsewhere.”
