England star Ellie Kildunne finishes runner-up at BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards

Kildunne holds the historic honour of being first ever female rugby player to be nominated for the prestigious accolade, as the 26-year-old became the first English rugby player since Jonny Wilkinson in 2007 to make the short-list at the event. Kildunne was pivotal to the Red Roses' 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup triumph, with the fullback starring throughout the tournament for John Mitchell's team.

Kildunne has had a stellar year, starting of with another blistering Women's Six Nations campaign as England secured their seventh consecutive title. The Harlequins hot-shot transcended the pitch as a fan favourite of the Red Roses, with her lasso dance instantly catching on across the team and with the England fans in the stands. A definitive role model to young rugby fans across the country, Kildunne has since been immortalised with a custom made Barbie doll to celebrate her on-field accomplishments and inspire more girls to get into the sport.

Kildunne exploded into 2025 as World Player of the Year, as the flyer was was instrumental in England’s title successes over the past 12 months, including a second consecutive WXV1 title. The Harlequin scored a hat-trick on her 50th international cap against Wales as England went on to win the aformentioned seventh Guinness Women’s Six Nations title in a row.

Kildunne dotted down for two tries in the home soil Women's Rugby World Cup opener win over the USA, as the Red Roses set new records at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland. Kildunne further proved influential with two stunning efforts in the semi-final win against France, before wrapping up her campaign with a phenomenal breakaway try in the final against Canada, in front of a record setting crowd of 81,885 at Allianz Stadium.