Off-pitch lives and loves of England's Lionesses as Women's Euro 2022 kicks off

Football has come home... the UEFA Women's Euro tournament is kicking off tonight with England taking on Austria at Old Trafford.

And there's high hopes that our Lionesses could triumph after they came fourth in the Women's World Cup three years ago. They've been on a stunning run under Sarina Wiegman, with 12 wins in 14 games unbeaten and with 84 goals scored and just three conceded during that time. It's some record.

But who are our top footballers - and what are their lives like both on and off the pitch? Here, we reveal all you need to know about the players and their partners, husbands, wives and girlfriends.

Demi Stokes

Demi, 30, who plays for Manchester City, recently welcomed her first child with fiancée Katie Harrington.

NHS worker Katie, 32, gave birth to son Harlen Harrington-Stokes in May after he was conceived via IVF. It took the couple two years to conceive after they initially struggled with it not working, something Demi has spoken out about in the hope it will help other same-sex couples.

Demi said: "In our head, it was a case of: 'we're just going to go down to the clinic and then it will work and we'll have a baby'... but it wasn't as simple as that, and we had to learn."

Demi has also spoken out about her difficult upbringing. Her mum was a survivor of domestic violence, and Demi and her four siblings moved from their native Birmingham to a women's refuge in Newcastle.

She was then brought up by her grandmother, who died in 2015. Demi said: "I feel like life can be a storm and I've come out the other end."

Leah Williamson

Selected as England Captain despite only playing for six minutes in total at the 2019 World Cup, Arsenal player Leah, 25, describes herself as being 'exceptionally' patriotic. She added: "I've been brought up that way - so I love representing my country."

Off the pitch, she is thought to be dating fellow Arsenal Women's player Jordan Nobbs, 29, - but Leah appears to be private about their relationship.

Leah is more open about her close friendship with England teammate Keira Walsh, 25. The pair met playing football for youth groups - but are reportedly banned from sharing a room on international duty to ensure they don't isolate themselves.

Away from football, Leah, who is also studying accountancy part time, fancies herself as a singer, saying Keira has walked in on her performing in her bedroom before. Her talent runs in the family. Leah said: "My grandad once had a Top 40 hit with his band The Good Time Losers called Trafalgar Square. They supported Pink Floyd and The Who back in the day so we are a musical family."

Alex Greenwood

Manchester City player Alex, 28, met childhood sweetheart - and fellow footballer - Jack O'Connell, also 28, when they were studying at Savio Salesian College in Bootle.

Jack, who plays for Sheffield United, and Alex tend to keep a low profile on social media, as the latter has suffered abuse and even death threats from trolls. However, they have given fans an insight into their life together on occasion, recently uploading holiday snaps from a luxury trip to Dubai.

Now his own football season has ended, it's likely Jack could make a telly appearance and be seen cheering from the sidelines.

Alex is also known for being one of the more glamorous of the Lionesses. Jordan Nobbs, who has missed out on being selected for this tournament's England squad said Alex is "very big into her heels, her dresses and her eyelashes".

Georgia Stanway

Georgia, 23, was the youngest player in England's World Cup line-up and recently signed for Bayern Munich.

She is often seen at rugby matches cheering on her boyfriend Olly Ashall-Bolt, 24, who plays rugby league for Toulouse Olympique. When he's not in France, Olly, who has dated Georgia since messaging her on Instagram in March 2018, lives with Georgia in Widnes, Cheshire.

The pair developed an unusual hobby - fishing - during lockdown and still do it regularly. Olly said: "Literally within the second time of going, Georgia caught the biggest fish ever, she's so competitive in everything she does."

While Georgia says Olly's rugby friends are settling down, they don't plan to get married or have children yet. She added: "We're enjoying each other's company, we're still young and just loving life. I've got trophies that I want to lift before I lift any children up."

Lauren Hemp

Manchester City striker Lauren Hemp, 21, has been hugely tipped as one of the Lionesses to watch, having won four Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year awards over the years.

Like several of her fellow players, Lauren is dating a footballer. She has been in a relationship with Ellie Butler, 20, who has played for Wolves also as a striker since last summer. The pair are also fairly private on social media, but recently posted pictures on Instagram of them enjoying a holiday to Amsterdam with friends.

Lauren started out in the world of sport as a cricketer, but ditched it for the beautiful game.

Jill Scott

Sunderland-born Jill, 35, has been a member of the Lionesses for 16 years and is the second-most capped player in their history.

At five foot 11, she has earned the nickname 'Crouchy' from her teammates - a reference to lanky former footballer Peter Crouch. She has been engaged to Shelly Unitt, 37, since 2020 and the couple own a coffee shop in Manchester together.

Shelly is the sister of former England player Rachel Unitt, so is used to travelling around to watch games. She recalled that when her and Jill went on holiday together after the 2019 World Cup, Shelly was struck by the positive public response.

She added: "Everyone was recognising her, and she had a lot of time for everyone. They were telling her she'd played well, that everyone was getting together in their family homes and making time to watch these games."

Rachel Daly

Born in Harrogate, Rachel, 30, now spends most of her time across the pond where she plays for Texan team Houston Dash.

She was previously linked to her teammate Kristie Mewis but Rachel is now in a long-distance relationship with Manchester United player Millie Turner, 25. Unlike her teammates, Rachel regularly shares loved-up photos on social media, often with their dog Dexi in tow.

Millie will no doubt be watching her girlfriend on the pitch - she recently said she was proud as punch of Rachel following a recent England win.

*The UEFA Women's Euro starts tonight, 7pm, BBC One