Jodie Ounsley author page

Jodie Ounsley biography

Jodie Ounsley is also known as Fury from the BBC’s Gladiators. She became the first deaf female rugby player to play for a senior England side, earning her first cap in 2019, and she was also the first deaf player to represent on the sevens stage. In 2020 she won Deaf Sports Personality of the Year. In 2023 she became Honorary President of UK Deaf Sport and was included in the BBC Woman’s Hour Women in Sport Power List. In 2024 she worked as a Paralympics C4 Broadcaster. She is a patron of The Elizabeth Foundation.

Her debut children’s non-fiction book, Keep Smashing It: Be Strong, Be Brave, Be Confident, was published on 27 March 2025 by Macmillan Children’s Books for readers aged 8 to 11. It was written with Becky Grey and illustrated by Dane Thibeault. The book encourages children to build confidence, speak up for what they believe in, and keep going when life is difficult. It also includes a guide to the British Sign Language alphabet and numbers. Her next children’s book, Strong Girls, is scheduled for publication on 9 April 2026 from Rocket Fox.