England goalkeeper Mary Earps has become the first professional female footballer to have a wax figure at Madame Tussauds London and hopes it will “break barriers and push boundaries”.
Members of the public, who took part in a national competition held by the attraction, voted for the goalkeeper to be “immortalised” following the Lionesses’ success in reaching the final of the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
Earps, 31, who was vice-captain at the World Cup and received the Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper of the tournament, said it is “a great feeling” to be recognised.
“It’s a special feeling to be a trailblazer. I think it’s something that means a lot to me,” she said.
“I’m a very ambitious person, a very hard-working person, and I think to try and push boundaries and try and be a pioneer for change, in many ways, is something that I really enjoy doing, and hopefully I can do for the rest of my career.”
The Lioness said it was “a bizarre one” that members of the public had voted for her, but hopes the rest of her teammates will soon have their own wax figures at Madame Tussauds London to help inspire people to “push boundaries”.
“As Lionesses, one of the things that really sets us apart from other teams is how strong we are in our values and what we stand for,” she said.
“I think we’re really big on trying to inspire as many people as possible – young, old, all ages, all genders – and I think this is another extension of that, and we’re constantly trying to break barriers and push boundaries.”
She is most excited for her family to see her wax figure for the first time, particularly her grandmother who she joked might feel uneasy seeing a different version of Earps.
“I think that will be a real special moment for (my gran). I’m not sure how she’ll feel about there being two of me in the world, but we’re about to find out,” she said.
Earps, who was also part of the team that won the Euros in 2022 and was awarded an MBE for her services to football in May, said she hopes her eyes, eyebrows and lashes are “on point”.
“I think my eyebrows and my lashes, those are the two things that I’d really like to be really mega on point,” she explained.
“I think it’s nice if the eyes can be perfect as well because I think that tells you a lot about a person and their character.”
Jo Kinsey, studio manager at Madame Tussauds London, said: “Mary Earps is a superstar who commits to excellence both on and off the pitch.
“From winning the nation’s heart to winning the nation’s vote, it was truly delightful having the opportunity to work with her for her first ever figure.
“Mary really got stuck in with the creative process, even helping with carving out the clay in the initial stages.”
Earps’ wax figure can be seen at Madame Tussauds London on Marylebone Road from the autumn.
