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The former Lioness Eni Aluko had a hugely successful career as a football player making over 100 appearances for England. Since then she's gone on to have another successful career as a pundit - becoming the first woman to appear on Match of the Day in 2014.

Her name dominated headlines earlier this month following the outcome of a civil court hearing involving the ex-footballer Joey Barton. In the first stage of a High Court libel case, the Judge found that online posts by Joey Barton about Eni and her family were "defamatory".

Referring to comments made by Aluko in 2020, which appeared to criticise people placed on the government's furlough scheme, for which she apologised, Barton posted comments suggesting Aluko's late father had been financially corrupt, and that her private education made her a "hypocrite". He also accused her of "playing the race card".

Eni Aluko joined Clare McDonnell in the Woman’s Hour studio to share her reaction to the ruling.

Mr Barton is yet to respond and could appeal. He could also defend the statements if the case proceeds to trial.

In a separate criminal case involving both parties Joey Barton has pleaded not guilty to posting offensive comments on social media. The case will be heard in court next month and it was not the subject of this interview.

Listen to the full interview on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Sounds – it’s the Woman’s Hour episode from 23 April.

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