Mary Earps has accepted “full responsibility and accountability” for the fallout following the release of her autobiography.
The Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper’s book came out last year, in which she revealed the events that led to her surprise international retirement ahead of the 2025 European Championships.
Earps was in line to start the tournament, where England successfully defended their title, but chose to retire from the national setup due to the way head coach Sarina Wiegman handled the goalkeeping situation with Hannah Hampton.
Hampton, who starred for England last summer, rejoined the England squad in 2025 after previous disciplinary issues under Wiegman’s leadership.
Earps described her relationship with Hampton as “difficult”, and her autobiography led to public criticism after another successful major tournament for the Lionesses.
“It was a pretty difficult time but, ultimately, it was a consequence of my own actions,” Earps told The Telegraph.
“I take full responsibility and accountability for the book, the decisions and how it landed and all those kinds of things, that’s on me. It’s my name and it’s my face on the front of it.
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“It really started a period of real deep reflection for me, having some tough conversations with people around me. Mostly I looked at myself. I look back to that time and I feel in a completely different space now.
“I’m not a perfect person, I’m still learning and growing as a human being. You either evolve or repeat. I look back and I have to be accountable for the things that I know I could have done better.”
The 32-year-old also revealed that she has spoken to Wiegman since the book’s publication.
She added: “I think that was one of the most disappointing things. I would never, ever want anybody to question my respect and admiration for Sarina and everything that we’ve achieved together.
“I have spoken to her. Of course, I want to keep that conversation private. We had an opportunity to speak face to face and I’m really grateful. It was a really positive conversation and I’m grateful to Sarina that we could make that happen.”