Many British sports fans will know all about Fatima Whitbread’s athletic achievements, but not her West Ham fandom.
Whitbread was an exceptional javelin thrower, winning silver and bronze medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, respectively.
She even broke the world record at the 1986 European Championships and was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1987.
Whitbread has now opened up about her big support for West Ham, which predates her incredible javelin career.
They say never fall in love with a loan player, but we’ve all done it before 😂
Fatima Whitbread names Frank Lampard among West Ham heroes
Whitbread revealed that she and her son are both West Ham fans despite her mother supporting Tottenham Hotspur.
Having grown up in nearby Hackney, she regularly attended games in her youth – an era when the Hammers won two FA Cups (1975 and 1980).
“It’s been in my blood for years. West Ham always will be,” Whitbread told whufc.com. “I worked much later in life in the English Sports Council with Sir Trevor Brooking, who was my neighbour.”
Whitbread named Frank Lampard Senior (not to be confused with his son, the Chelsea icon) as one of her favourite players.
Lampard Sr made 670 appearances across his 18 seasons at West Ham and is widely regarded as a club legend.
“I remember as a young girl, Frank Lampard was great,” she added. “I used to go to the matches and watch the likes of Mervyn Day, Alan Curbishley, and all the boys back in the day.”
Her comments prove she is not the typical celebrity jumping on the Premier League bandwagon, but a true Hammers supporter.
Fatima Whitbread is one of many celebrity West Ham fans
Fatima Whitbread is one of many celebrities who support West Ham in some capacity.
Danny Dyer, whose daughter Dani is in a relationship with Jarrod Bowen, is probably the most well-known Hammers fan.
World champion boxer Lennox Lewis, Hollywood actress Keira Knightley, and TV personality James Corden are among the others.
Of those, Lewis may be the only one who also remembers Lampard’s heyday in the 1970s, as Whitbread does.
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