The formidable single mother behind Ollie Watkins: Singer gave him pep talks during tough times while playing for Brentford and has even taken Gareth Southgate to task

Ollie Watkins made the England team’s dream a reality last night when he scored a spectacular goal in the 90th minute of their match against the Netherlands – thereby securing the Three Lions a spot in the Euro 2024 final.

As the match drew to a close and the England fans erupted into celebrations, Ollie rushed over to see his family in the stands.

After kissing his girlfriend Ellie Anderson, the Aston Villa striker, 28, was pictured hugging his mother Delsi-May.

In an emotional moment, the mother-of-five – who was wearing Ollie’s England shirt – was seen holding her son’s face in her hands as they celebrated the most important goal of his career. 

Last night’s success came after Delsi-May – who is a professional singer – launched into a furious rant during a gig last week, demanding manager Gareth Southgate allow her son to ‘come on the f***ing pitch’.

Over the course of his 10-year career, Delsi-May has been her son’s biggest supporter – and previously revealed that he showed talent for the sport from just nine months old.

Here FEMAIL reveals how Ollie’s formidable single mother allowed his career to flourish while pursuing her own passions too.

Encouraging Ollie’s early talent 

Delsi-May and Steven Watkins, who were living in Newton Abbot, welcomed their son Ollie in December 1995. The ex-couple also shared sons Richie, Dale and Jordan and daughter Charlotte.

Ollie’s parents divorced when he was a teenager – resulting in Delsi-May largely raising her four children on her own.

In an interview with The Times in March 2021, the singer described how her son showed sporting prowess from just nine months old.

The proud mother says she used to take her children to an local arcade, where Ollie took a particular shining to a ball-kicking game.

She said: ‘There was a little machine where you put a 2p in, and a little rubber ball fell out.

‘He’d stand there and you’d drop it, and he’d kick it. He never used to miss. He was only nine months old.’

During his childhood, Delsi-May said Ollie tried his hand at other sports, such as skateboarding and BMX biking – but always came back to football.

She joked: ‘Every time he went out, he used to come back with a blinking football!’

Growing up, Ollie was a devoted Arsenal supporter and told Sports Gazette that his dream is to play for the club.

He said: ‘I’m an Arsenal fan so Thierry Henry was my [idol] he’s unbelievable to watch. He was the idol growing up really.’ 

Although Delsi-May was encouraging of her son’s talent, Ollie has previously revealed she would get frustrated with him practicing at home. 

He told Soccer Bible in 2021: ‘I remember being in our family home and there was like a bay window we had and there was like a wall on the outside. Just outside the wall there was a ditch, and I used to come home with all my footballs. 

‘But I used to keep kicking the ball against the wall and my mum used to come out screaming. I used to set up the plant pots as cones so I could dribble in and out of them, knock ’em over, soil everywhere.’

Pursuing her own passions 

Alongside raising her four children, Delsi-May has been a member of the band The Superstitions since the early 1990s.

During a YouTube interview with local business Amity Vets, the mother explained how she always wanted to be a nurse – but gave up on the idea after witnessing a minor accident involving a dog while walking home from school.

A few days later, Delsi-May was singing in a taxi on the way home from a night out with her sister when the driver told her that his friend was looking for a singer.

When she was first offered a record deal in the 1980s, the mother was told by her prospective label that they wanted her to use the stage name ‘Ruby Washington’.

Unimpressed by the strict clauses in the contract, Delsi-May decided to walk away from the deal – but kept the name because it was on all of her promotional imagery.

She explained: ‘[The plan was] to change my name back to my real name Delsi-May but by then people knew who I was as Ruby Washington. It had been established so it didn’t happen.’

In the 1980s, Delsi also performed on Bob Monkhouse and Joe Longthorne’s TV shows.

As a single mother-of-four, Delsi-May detailed the struggles of having a career – while also supporting Ollie’s flourishing football talent – in her interview with The Times.

When he was 11 years old, Ollie was accepted into Exeter City’s football academy, which is a 35 minute drive from the family’s home in Newton Abbot.  

The mother explained: ‘I had to bomb it over to school, bring them back, get them something to eat, get them in the car, bomb it over to Exeter during rush hour, then make sure I got back in time for me to get to work.’

Although the set-up worked fine if she was performing locally, Delsi-May said she had to rely on a friend’s father to pick Ollie up and bring him home.

‘You’re going to play for England’ 

After training at Exeter city for three years, Ollie was loaned to Weston-super-Mare before moving to Brentford.

As her son’s career started going from strength-to-strength, Delsi-May has said never doubted he would become one of the top British players.

When Ollie signed to Brentford, the mother says she told him: ‘You’re going to play for England one day.’

However, Ollie’s career wasn’t always smooth-sailing – and she detailed how he once burst into tears when she picked him up from training in Exeter.

Recalling their heartfelt exchange, the mother said Ollie was convinced the former Exeter manager Paul Tisdale was ‘picking on’ him.

In response, Delsi-May encouraged her son to see it as an encouraging sign and proof that the manager knew how talented he was and needed him to ‘focus’.

What’s more, Ollie has also previously spoken about his mother’s emotional reaction when he joined Aston Villa in 2020. 

Speaking to Gaffer World, Ollie explained: ‘The day after I signed for Villa I was just in the hotel with my Mum and as I was going to leave to go to my first day of training and she burst into tears. 

‘So, she set me off too, It was then that I actually took the time to sit down and realise that this really is a very big moment. To come up from Exeter, to be playing non-league, to then be a record-transfer for a massive club like Villa. It’s incredible.’

On that landmark day in his career, Ollie revealed that his family were given a tour around the club

He recalled how Delsi-May took her shoes off so she could ‘feel the pitch properly’ while his brother pretended to score goals.

‘Let Ollie come on the f***ing pitch!’ 

Before last night, Ollie had only played in the Euros for 20 minutes – and his mother voiced her frustration during a gig earlier this month.

In a viral TikTok, Delsi-May is seen standing on stage and sending a strongly-worded message to Gareth Southgate.

She said: ‘On Wednesday, [my wish is] that they finally let my son come on the f***ing pitch!’ 

Watkins emerged as the team’s unlikely hero, with the game deadlocked in the 90th minute following goals from Xavi Simmons and Harry Kane 

The 28-year-old revealed post-match that he predicted he would come off the bench and score in the semi-final: ‘I swear on my life, I swear on my kids’ life, I said to Cole Palmer, we’re coming on and you’re going to set me up today. 

‘And that’s why I was so happy. I knew as soon as he got the ball he was going to play me and then you’ve got to be greedy: touch and finish. And when I seen it go in the bottom corner… oh my life.

‘I’m lost for words, when you score there’s emotions that come through your body but this is just a different feeling it was like slow motion. I didn’t want to leave the pitch I just wanted to soak it all in. I don’t think I’ve hit a ball that sweet.’ 

His decisive contribution saw him awarded with the Player of the Match award and a memory that he admitted was beyond his wildest dreams.

‘I didn’t dream about that to be honest as a kid, I can’t lie to you and say I dreamed about that,’ he added.

‘I didn’t think I would be doing it in a tournament like that. I never thought I would be playing in the Euros for England. You can dream but I’m a realist, I take it day by day.

‘I’ve put in a lot of hard work to get to this point. I’m going to enjoy every moment.

‘Recently I have obviously got a bit frustrated. I don’t like to be on the bench, I have had the best season of my career. A few friends messaged me and said be patient and the amount of people who messaged me tonight saying I would score when I come on was ridiculous.

‘Hopefully they can do the same for the final or give me the lottery numbers!’