Laura Woods ‘still really overawed’ by meeting Arsenal legend who said wearing sun cream is ‘cheating’ on Portugal beach
LAURA WOODS has revealed she still gets “overawed” when meeting Arsenal legends and told a story about coming face to face with Gunners hero Ray Parlour on a beach in Portugal.
Woods, 36, is a die-hard Arsenal supporter and has been since she was a child.
And in a recent video for TNT Sports, she spoke about seeing the Arsenal players at the old training ground as a youngster.
She then went on to detail a hilarious meeting later in life with former midfielder Parlour.
Speaking to ex-Manchester United man Rio Ferdinand, she said: “My dad played cricket there one day [at the old Arsenal training ground] and me and my brothers were having a little wander around.
“I was so young, I didn’t really know what was going on, and honestly we came out to the pitch where they were training and Arsene Wenger was standing there watching them all train and I was like ‘wow’.
“There were no photos, no camera phones or anything like that. We just watched. It was amazing.”
She continued: “I’m still really overawed by it.
“Even though we work in football every day, there’s something I still see with the old school Arsenal players – even with Martin Keown.
“It took me ages to meet Ray Parlour, ages. He was probably one of the last players I met. I’d met Thierry [Henry], I’d met [Emmanuel] Petit. I was so embarrassing when I met Petit.
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“He was the one [Parlour]. When I met him, it was on a random beach in Portugal – I was presenting the Sir Bobby Robson Celebrity Golf Classic.”
Ferdinand interrupted to ask: “Did he have a drink in hand?”
To which Woods replied: “Of course, the whole time. Alan Brazil was on this cart and if you went to the golf buggies they were filled up with empty cans of beer.
“And they were so hot and red. I was like ‘Do you guys need some sun tan lotion?’ They were like ‘No, that’s cheating’.
“But that was the first time I met him and it was amazing.”
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