Jake Livermore’s England call-up marks remarkable turnaround from cocaine hell after tragic death of his baby boy
West Brom midfielder with just one cap has been picked by Gareth Southgate for clashes against Germany and Lithuania
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JAKE LIVERMORE'S surprise England call-up completes the remarkable turnaround from his cocaine hell following the tragic death of his baby boy.
Livermore left then Hull manager Steve Bruce "devastated" after his positive test for the Class A drug in April 2015.
Suspended by the Tigers and the FA, the man with one England cap to his name saw his future hanging by a thread with the threat of a two-year ban.
But this was a complex case and the Enfield-born star plucked up the courage to reveal to the world that he had turned to the drug after struggling to come to terms with the death of his baby boy.
Jake Jr died within half an hour of being born after a catalogue of errors during his delivery.
Livermore and his partner Danielle Del-Giudice accused Portland Hospital - the same private maternity hospital where Prince George and Princess Charlotte were born - in central London of trying to avoid a full inquest into their son’s death.
Staff claimed the baby was not born alive in May 2014 but heartbroken Livermore said: "I heard him cry faintly."
Livermore struggled with depression following the harrowing events.
And his drug use did not result in a ban after the FA ruled the death was an overwhelming mitigating factor.
He said of the positive test: "It was like getting out of prison, people finally knew there was something not right in my head.
"It was completely out of character for anything that I have ever been about.
"Finally I could be myself instead of putting on a brave face 24/7 — at home, at work, getting a coffee, at the shops, you’re constantly trying to be someone you're not and show emotions you’re not really feeling, because as soon as you shut your front door you become the broken man you actually are.
"So for me, it was a relief. The drugs were irrelevant. It could have been drugs, a gun, a car crash or whatever, the self-destruct button was the problem.
"The way in which [his death] happened made it difficult to fight my own demons.
"If you lose a child in God’s hands it is completely different. To find out why he had died, that was too much for my head and my heart to take."
Fast forward and Livermore has a new lease of life.
He and Danielle have welcomed a new son, Jayce, into the world.
And the 27-year-old has done enough at West Brom to convince Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate he deserves another shot on the international stage.
Southgate said: "He’s adapted well at West Brom. Positionally we need the defensive midfield type without [Jordan] Henderson and [Danny] Drinkwater.
"It is a great reward for him for the last year battling back from personal difficulties."
Livermore's last England cap came as a substitute in the 2-1 friendly win over Italy in August 2012.
But his £10million switch on a four-and-a-half year deal from Hull in January has reinvigorated his career.
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Pulis - who made former Spurs star Livermore his first January signing - has guided West Brom to eighth with typically combative performances.
The Welsh gaffer said at the time of Livermore's move: "I watched him a lot when he was at Tottenham and thought he would go on to establish himself as a top-six player.
"Maybe he has just drifted away a little from that - although having said that two promotions and a Cup final with Hull should not be forgotten.
";But I believe this lad is a very, very good player."
Southgate clearly thinks so, too.