The boyfriend of ITV Euro 2024 presenter Laura Woods on Love Island, her famous ex and her horror face injured

There will be 51 matches at Euro 2024, and viewers at home will not only be treated to a feast of football action, but they will also hear plenty from the BBC and ITV pundits and presenters.

While the BBC will have players such as Gary Lineker and Gabby Logan presenting the matches, ITV’s coverage will be led by Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods.

Through her appearances on Sky Sports and talkSPORT, Woods quickly became one of the country’s most respected sports presenters and is now used to hosting major matches alongside pundits such as Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Graham Souness.

As one of the most recognisable faces on television, the 36-year-old’s private life has always piqued viewers’ interest, with her relationships often making headlines. Here’s everything you need to know about the ITV presenter.

READ MORE: BBC Match of the Day expert disappeared from television after the European Championship to become a preacher

READ MORE: The ‘crippling’ reason Alan Hansen disappeared from television 10 years ago

Who is Laura Woods?

Woods is a sports presenter who works not only for ITV, but also for TNT Sport, DAZN and Amazon Prime Video.

Born in Dagenham, east London, in 1987, she began her career in broadcasting after graduating from Kingston University with a degree in print journalism. In 2009, she landed a job as a runner at Sky Sports, eventually working her way up to become a producer at the channel.

Woods began her career as a presenter doing behind-the-scenes interviews for Sky Sports’ darts coverage on YouTube before landing a job on Saturday morning kids’ show Game Changers. She then moved on to covering the NFL before joining Soccer AM’s online presenting team and leading the show’s Facebook coverage of Euro 2016.

In 2018, she became a regular pitchside reporter on Sky Sports’ Super Sunday, but left the broadcaster earlier this year after 13 years.

Following her departure from Sky Sports, it was announced in August 2022 that Woods would host ITV’s Friday night NFL highlights show alongside former American football stars Osi Umenyiora and Jason Bell. A few months later, she was named one of ITV’s presenters for the World Cup in Qatar, alongside Mark Pougatch, Kelly Cates and Seema Jaswal, while she was also the main presenter of the broadcaster’s coverage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Last July, she joined TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) as lead presenter for the Champions League and its boxing coverage. The month before, she announced she was leaving the talkSPORT Sports Breakfast Show, which she had hosted three days a week alongside former Scottish star Ally McCoist.

The 36-year-old presenter also works for DAZN and reports on boxing and the Women’s Champions League for the online streaming service.

Love Island boyfriend and famous ex-partner

In October, Woods announced her new boyfriend, former Love Island contestant Adam Collard.

The 28-year-old fitness coach, who appeared in the fourth series of the popular show before returning for series eight, earned a reputation as a womaniser during his time in the famous villa. But he claims to have given up his previous habits and declared Woods “the one” after beginning a whirlwind romance with the presenter, who he initially contacted via social media before meeting in person.

“When we first met – I’m shaking hands here – I sent her a direct message first and got a response, but then nothing ever happened,” he told The Sun. “I would never get into a relationship with someone unless I thought at some point that that person was the right one.”

Since announcing their relationship, the pair have shared photos of romantic outings and Collard has admitted that he has plans for a life with Woods, who is eight years his senior.

“I’m protective, whether it’s about Laura or my family, my friends. I want to get married. I want to have kids too. I’ve always thought about what kind of person I’m going to be. How can I protect my kids?” he said. “We’re not necessarily the average everyday couple. We both do a lot and I think I’ve always been beyond my years anyway, I think it’s probably exactly what I’ve needed for a long time.”

Woods was previously in a long-term relationship with former English rugby player Alex Corbisiero. The couple were together for eight years before the presenter ended the relationship several years ago.

She told The Sun that she does not regret her decision to split with the former loosehead prop, but added that she “loves being in love” and wants to get married and have children.

“My last relationship lasted eight years and I was nearly 30 when we split up,” she said. “It was my decision – it was the right one and I’ve never regretted it. We were at each other’s mercy and splitting up with him felt like I was gasping for air. The next step for us was probably marriage and having kids. And I want to do that one day – I love being in love and I love kids. But I’ve prioritised work because I love that too and my ambitions are important to me.”

She added: “One thing I know is that I will not settle and wait for the right man. I will know when it is the right person because I am willing to make that sacrifice. But one thing the lockdown has taught me is that I put work too much first and I need more balance.”

“I don’t use internet dating sites. I hate being set up and I’m quite picky – if I’m not in control, I don’t like it! I prefer to meet someone naturally in the pub. I don’t believe in forcing anything. I’ll know when it happens and until then, it’s not an area of ​​my life that I feel like I’m missing out on.”

Horror facial injury

Just weeks before the start of the European Championships, Woods was hospitalised with a horrific facial injury sustained while on holiday with Collard. She was due to host the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight on DAZN but was forced to pull out due to a bizarre incident in which her face was slashed around her eye.

She explained on social media: “I just wanted to explain my brief absence from television to be completely transparent and avoid any speculation.”

“Last weekend I had an accident in a holiday home. I was swinging a pillow and hit a large glass lampshade hanging from the ceiling above me. The lampshade shattered and injured my face and arms, but fortunately missed my eye.”

She continued to thank those who helped her through this unexpected situation, writing: “I want to say a few thank yous, first to Adam who was my hero that day, acted so quickly and hasn’t left me since, and to his family who looked after me when I was petrified.”

“To my agents Alex Maguire and Matthew Odonohue at CAA, who immediately sought the best help. To Dr. Yannis Alexandrides and his wonderful medical assistant Zuzanna at 111, who opened their emergency room and came on their days off. They were so gentle and have already performed miracles that I did not believe the damage could still be limited.”

Woods also posted photos to show the progress she has made in a short period of time, adding: “I’ve included the photos from then until now to show that even though it may look bumpy, it’s already a wonderful improvement and I’m so grateful.”

“It was a hell of a shock and I was a bit sad but I’m very glad it wasn’t worse. So a big thank you to my eyebrow too which took the brunt of it. I’m disappointed I won’t be able to cover the fight in Riyadh tomorrow but I wish the amazing TNT boxing team all the best. Be back soon xx.”

Earlier this month, she returned to television to host TNT Sports’ coverage of the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

The worst job interview ever

Woods has interviewed some of the biggest names in football, from Paul Pogba to Cristiano Ronaldo, but it was a legendary Premier League manager who was responsible for her worst interview ever.

On Sky Sports, the presenter was confronted with an angry Jose Mourinho, then at Tottenham Hotspur, after a Harry Kane goal was controversially disallowed for offside. The Portuguese manager was not happy with the decision, meaning Woods was on the receiving end of an intense exchange that saw the manager “look into her soul”.

Speaking about the interview with former Arsenal striker Ian Wright, she said: “Harry Kane had just scored a goal but it was disallowed or something like that. Wrighty, he looked into my soul! He looked 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 turned the tables and said, ‘Well, what do you think?’ And I thought, ‘Well, I have to act like a big girl now.’ I thought, ‘It’s not about me, it’s about you. Nobody cares about my opinion.’ (He replied, ‘Well, I care. What do you think?’ And I agreed with him, but I thought I had to stand my ground.”

Despite the frosty exchange, Woods is still a fan of Mourinho, adding: “I think he tested me but I like him too. I miss him when he’s not there, I miss his personality. This job looks like a really easy job to any football fan who looks at it, but it’s not.”