Millie Bright has said her withdrawal from the England squad is because she is “mentally and physically” at her limits and needs a break.

The Football Association (FA) announced on Monday that Bright had dropped out of the squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures to undertake “an extended period of recovery”. Arsenal defender Lotte Wubben-Moy was called up in her place.

Bright, 31, has been a mainstay of the England side under Sarina Wiegman, starting every match of the Lionesses’ 2022 European Championship-winning campaign and captaining the side during their run to the 2023 World Cup final.

Speaking on her Daly Brightness podcast was asked by co-host and England team-mate Rachel Daly if she was feeling ok, to which the centre-back said “probably not at this moment”.

“I think mentally and physically I’m at my limits, which is why I’m not at camp,” Bright said.

“That is a really hard decision but I think you know better than anyone as well — sometimes you just have to take that time for yourself.”

Bright added “sometimes you need to breathe and take a step back”, saying: “You need to value yourself and your mental health and body, and just say that no, right now is not the time for you.”

The defender’s squad withdrawal comes after goalkeeper Mary Earps abruptly announced her international retirement on Tuesday, a little over a month before England begin the defence of their European Championship title.

England play France in their Euro 2025 group stage opener on July 5.

Bright has made 88 appearances at senior international level since her debut in 2016 and has been one half of England’s first-choice centre-back pairing at each of the last four major tournaments.

The Chelsea defender was named captain by Wiegman for the 2023 World Cup after Leah Williamson missed the tournament with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

While Earps’ international retirement came after losing her No 1 spot to Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, Bright has remained a regular starter throughout England’s Euro 2025 qualifying and 2025 Nations League campaigns.

She made 21 Women’s Super League appearances for Chelsea during the 2024-25 season as the club secured a record-extending sixth successive league title.

(Photo: Dan Istitene/Getty Images)