Ella Toone's gift from pals that means she can 'hug' late dad at Women's Euros
Ella Toone has said her thoughtful pals gave her a pillow with her late dad's face on so she could still hug him at the Women's Euros. The 25-year-old striker also told how Sir Chris Hoy's autobiography helped her deal with the death of her dad Nick, who lost his battle with prostate cancer just days before his 60th birthday.
Speaking about the special items she's packed for the tournament in Switzerland, Ella said: "When I went to the [last] Euros and the World Cup, [my boyfriend] Joe got me loads of pictures that my mum put in of my friends, me and my family, the dogs, and it was really nice to have those in the room. I had a big flag they made saying 'Come on Ella'.
"Then when I went to the World Cup Joe had made a big book, he had gone to everyone and got them to write messages in it so throughout the tournament I could read through it. Those little sentimental bits just remind you of what you're doing and who you are making proud.
"I've got a few nice bits of dad that I always take away with me now. I have a pillow that my mates got me with a picture of dad on it and it says 'hug this whenever you need me'. I like to take that when I'm away on camp. And when you're in a hotel room it's nice to make it as much like home as you can, it's where you stay for a long time so it's nice to make it yours and cosy."
Asked how she relaxes in camp, Ella added: "I've started to read... I like to read autobiographies. I've just finished Sir Chris Hoy's autobiography, which is a story very close to my family, with him dealing with prostate cancer."
The Lionesses arrived in Switzerland on Monday afternoon and headed straight to their base camp at the 5* Dolder Grand Hotel in the suburbs to the south of the city. The tournament officially begins on Wednesday with the first match in Thun, where Iceland will play Finland at 5pm GMT.
And then after a grand opening ceremony in Basel, tournament hosts Switzerland will take on Norway at 8pm GMT. The celebrations will feature chart-topping pop heroes from both countries as well as theatrical displays from a cast of 185 performers. Swiss sensation Beatrice Egli and Norwegian artist Astrid S will headline the event before the players line the pitch just before kick off.
This year's theme; The Summit of Emotions, will encapsulate all that Switzerland has to boast from its spectacular landscapes, while demonstrating the highs and lows of football. Fans in the UK can catch the ceremony live on ITV or BBC, both of which are broadcasting the opening game.
Ranked 23rd in the world the Swiss will be hoping to defy the rankings to claim their first ever Euros win since the Women's tournament started in 1984. In Zurich the final touches were being made to the fan zone ahead of England's match against France on Saturday, which will be the first match of the tournament in the city.
Over the next four weeks Switzerland will welcome more than half a million football fans to cheer on their teams in the stands of eight different stadiums. Of those an estimated 180,000 will be international fans from 110 countries across the globe. The tournament will be streamed to TV screens around the world with an estimated 500 million tuning in to watch.
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