Homes under the Hammer’s Martel Maxwell reveals Scottish footy team she supports

NAILING your footballing colours to the mast is a courageous thing for any public personality to do.

And whether it’s Glasgow, Edinburgh or Dundee, loyalties when it comes to football matters.

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But Homes under the Hammer’s Scottish presenter Martel Maxwell has bravely taken that step in her column for the Courier/Evening Telegraph this morning.

That’s because the much-loved presenter, who previously worked as a roving reporter and columnist for the Scottish Sun in the early noughties, has revealed her affection for one side of the Dundee divide.

And that team is Dundee – although she admits she’s happy that United have been promoted again this summer as it guarantees the return of the city derby.

It also makes family life a bit easier – as her husband is a Dundee United fan and she says her ‘eldest son is leaning that way too’.

That also leaves one other dissenting voice, in her middle son’s decision to support Rangers – although the rest of the family “try not to talk about that”.

Maxwell – who has previously presented for ITV’s Lorraine, BBC1’s The One Show and across BBC Scotland – works alongside a former Celtic star in Dion Dublin on her daytime telly slot.

She told The Courier: “The first rule about having a column here (if you don’t want alienate half your readership) is: don’t out yourself as a Dee.

“The second rule (for the same reason) is: don’t start shaking your tangerine pom poms either.

“But I’m throwing caution to the wind to tell you about our trip to Dens for Saturday’s Dundee game against St Mirren when, despite the 1-3 result, it was the best of family days out.

“I’ve spoken before about how our family is split down the middle.

“My husband supports United and my eldest son is leaning that way too.

“We try not to talk about our middle boy’s decision to support Rangers. We don’t know where it came from and hope for a change of heart.

“Going back further, my grandad supported Dundee until the 60s when they sold their good players, kept the money and didn’t reinvest.

“He changed allegiances to United but the reality was he loved both.

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“As a young man, along with almost everyone else, he’d go game about – Dens one week, followed by Tannadice the next.

“He told me we should always support anything with Dundee in the name. We’re too small a place not to be proud of either team.

“That United have been promoted fills me with joy – like my Papa, I’m delighted for the success of both teams – and finally, we’ll get a Derby, great for fans and the local economy from employment to pubs, hotels, restaurants and shops.”

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