SOR POINT
Marvin Sordell opens up over suicide attempts on GMB as ex-Watford ace reveals mental health battle and Wills talks
FORMER Premier League star Marvin Sordell has spoken of how the pressures of football led to him trying to kill himself.
The 29-year-old appeared on Good Morning Britain to speak ahead of his appearance on BBC One show 'Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health'.
3
3
Sordell retired from football last year at the age of 28, and revealed how battles with depression blighted his short career.
In January 2012 Sordell joined Bolton from Watford for £3million and was heralded as a future England international.
But the London-born star struggled to stamp his authority on the Premier League as off-field problems took over.
After taking in spells at the likes of Colchester, Burton and C0ventry, Sordell hung up his boots after a ten-year-career.
Speaking to Ben Shephard and Ranvir Singh on GMB, Sordell said: "It was a combination of my personal experiences, what I experienced in life and a lot of pressure I faced having moved away from the environment at Watford I had, playing in the Championship, being a young player, to then going in to the Premier League, big club at Bolton.
"The transfer fee hanging over my head, the expectancy of what I needed to deliver. I found it difficult to deal with.
"Been away from home, and not having the support network directly around me made it equally as tough."
I was in a very very dark place, a deep hole and where I am in life today, I am a very happy person
Marvin Sordell
When asked whether he had tried to kill himself, Sordell added: "I did yes, I've been very open about that.
"That whole experience and my whole experience with depression and suicide attempts aswell because it is very important to see that you can overcome it and get to a better place.
"I was in a very very dark place, a deep hole and where I am in life today, I am a very happy person.
"Every time I have this discussion I say that negative experience, that whole period of time in my life kicked off a sequence of events that led to me being a lot happier and have led to a lot of positive things in my life.
"It was a dark place but there was a silver lining."
SunSport has previously detailed Sordell's struggles in football and how the pressures led to him attempting suicide in 2013.
He detailed how he "used to drink 7, 8, 9 or 10 days in a row" after returning to Burton from a loan spell with Northampton in 2019.
Sordell, who represented Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics, is now praying other footballers struggling speak up and he has even offered his services to the PFA.
Most Read In Football
He previously said: "It’s invaluable to have the knowledge of people from inside the game. These organisations have a lot of people with experience in business management or finance or sales.
“But when you’re talking about making an impact in football, you need to understand what football looks like and feels like. Without that it’s very difficult to know.";
Sordell speaks with Prince William in Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health that airs on Thursday at 8.05pm on BBC One.
YOU'RE NOT ALONE
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society - from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others... You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, , 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,
- Mind, , 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus,, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, , 116 123
3
Topics