Prince William hails "brave and inspirational" Dele Alli after star's interview
Prince William has praised Dele Alli for opening up on his struggles with mental health and childhood trauma which he bravely revealed in an interview with Gary Neville.
Alli, 27, said that he'd been molested as a six-year-old and sold drugs when he was only eight, all while his biological mother battled an alcohol addiction. The Everton midfielder was adopted at the age of 12 and upon becoming a professional football continued to battle issues.
Alli recently checked himself into rehab due to an addiction to sleeping tablets and having returned to Everton for pre-season training following a troubled loan spell in Turkey, sat down with Neville for a conversation which has seen him hailed by the likes of Harry Kane and Gary Lineker for his courage in talking about such difficult issues.
The Prince of Wales is among them and tweeted alongside a clip of the emotional interview: "Brave and inspirational, Dele. Discussing mental health is not a sign of weakness. Let's keep the conversation going. We're all with you and we wish you the very best. W."
Prince William has praised Dele Alli (Getty Images)Former Manchester United captain Neville himself had wrote when sharing the clip: "I'm struggling to find the words to put with this post but please watch my most recent interview with Dele. It's the most emotional, difficult yet inspirational conversation I've ever had in my life."
Everton chiefs face transfer backlash from fans after deadline day disaster
Speaking on The Overlap, Alli revealed: "It is something I haven't really spoken about. There were a few instances. At six, I was molested." Neville, who coached Dele during his time as an England international, immediately teared up and comforted the midfielder, saying: "You don't need to be sorry.
"I feel the fact you are now opening up will make people realise this is something that has been stored inside you, caged, for 15-20 years."
Alli later revealed he was sent to Africa to live with his biological father, having gotten into trouble during his youth, before returning to the UK after six "horrible" months. "I was sent to Africa to learn discipline then I was sent back," the 27-year-old went on to explained.
"It was horrible, I did not want to be there. I started smoking at seven and selling drugs at eight. An older person told me they wouldn't stop a kid so I would cycle around with my football and the drugs underneath.
"I got in trouble a lot with police but I had no rules as I grew up. My mum drank a lot and I don't blame her. I understood her situation by going into rehab. It was all she knew.
"When she put me up for adoption, we both knew it was needed to give me a chance of living a successful life. It was only going one way if I stayed there."
Alli ended up being adopted and with the help of his new family and football coaches broke into MK Dons' first-team aged 16. "I was adopted by an amazing family and I couldn't have asked for better people," the former England star affirmed. "If God created people, it was them. They were amazing.
"They have helped me a lot. When I started living with them, it was hard for me to really open up because I felt within myself, it was easy for them to get rid of me. I tried to be the best kid I could be for those few years. I started playing in the first team at 16 and it took off from there."
If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected]_ or visit their site to find your local branch.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
