Lauren James is currently Down Under for the World Cup with the Lionesses. And while the football star has been given a two-match ban by Fifa, the 21-year-old will be allowed return to the pitch, should the Lionesses make it to the final of the tournament.
© GettyLauren's red card follows an incident during the England vs Nigeria game on Monday. After stamping on the back of Michelle Alozie, the footballer was sent off the pitch in a disappointing blow to the Lionesses. While Lauren's two-game ban has come as a surprise, England's top-scorer in the tournament has since apologised to Michelle Alozie, with the two expressing their mutual respect for one another.
During her disappointing ban from England's next few games, Lauren will no doubt be supported by her Lioness teammates, as well as her family. And as it turns out, she's not the only football star at home. Meet Lauren's famous relatives…
Who is Lauren James' brother Reece James?
Reece James, 23, is a professional football player, and he's also been confirmed as the new Chelsea captain following Cesar Azpilicueta's departure.
© GettyIn June 2018, the sports star signed a four-year contract with Chelsea and later went on loan to Wigan Athletic for a season. As of 2022, Reece has played over 100 Chelsea games – an impressive milestone.
Reece shares the sweetest bond with his sister Lauren, and they couldn't be more supportive of one another. In a recent interview, Lioness Lauren said: "Both of us are supportive of each other, where I will go to his games and he will go to my games when he can. We kind of leave each other to it though. Anything to do with football, we both know what we need to do so we just leave the other one to it.
"But outside of football, we have a great relationship and we are really close. I think with our age gap that helps, with it only being two years…He is a funny guy."
Reece has also spoken about Lauren in interviews, telling England Football: "Me and Lauren played in a number of tournaments together where we would be in the same team. We won a lot of tournaments together and it was great playing with her.
© Instagram"We played together for Epsom Eagles and we would sometimes just play for a team so we could be part of the tournament, like we played for Kingstonian one time and there were other teams."
Who are Lauren James' parents Nigel and Emma James?
Lauren's father Nigel is the Academy Director of his own football coaching academy. He also worked as a talent ID scout for Fulham, Reading and Tottenham for 14 years. Meanwhile, little is known about Lauren's mum as she prefers to keep out of the spotlight. In a recent interview with the Mirror this month, Nigel spoke of his pride in his children Lauren and Reece, both of whom he previously coached. "I pinch myself every day," he said.
"Everyone who has seen Lauren play from six or seven years old knows how good she is. It's brilliant, it's quality but that's Lauren".
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He added: "She has an unbelievable technique that she has worked on for many years, but when you see it at the World Cup, it's amazing. I'm very proud to say we are the first family to produce two kids - one male and one female - playing for England."
