Harry Kane 'proud' of Dele Alli for talking about childhood trauma

The Prince of Wales is among those expressing support for Dele Alli after the footballer revealed how he became addicted to sleeping pills and relied on alcohol as he struggled with difficult childhood memories.

Prince William said an interview the England international and Premier League star has given to Gary Neville was “brave and inspirational”.

He added: “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.”

Talking to Neville on his YouTube channel The Overlap, Alli said he was molested at the age of six, his mum was an alcoholic, he started smoking at the age of seven and began dealing drugs at eight.

But his life changed when he was adopted by an “amazing family” when he was 12, he said.

“I couldn’t have asked for better people to do what they done for me,” he commented.

The sleeping pill addiction led to a six-week stay for the Everton player at a rehab clinic.

“Everton were amazing about it. They supported me 100% and I’ll be grateful to them forever… I was probably making the biggest decision of my life – something I was scared to do. But I’m happy I’ve done it and to be honest, I couldn’t have expected it to go the way it did.”

England captain Harry Kane, a former Tottenham team-mate of Alli’s, said he was “proud” of the midfielder for “speaking out and sharing his experience to try and help others”.

Gary Lineker tweeted: “This is very powerful and brave. Good luck to you @dele_official.”

Everton said everyone there “respects and applauds Dele’s bravery to speak about the difficulties he has faced, as well as seek the help required”.

It added: “The physical and mental welfare of all our players is of paramount importance.

“Dele will not be conducting any further interviews in relation to his rehabilitation, and we ask that his privacy is respected while he continues his recuperation from injury and receives the full care and support needed for his physical and mental wellbeing.”

The Professional Footballers’ Association said Alli had told his story with “such honesty” in an “important interview”.

It went on: “Hearing Dele speak with such openness will make a difference, and his desire to use his own experiences to act as an inspiration to others – inside and outside of football – is something he should be extremely proud of.”

Anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out said: “What a powerful and incredibly brave interview. To open up and share his story in the hope of helping others is humbling and inspiring.

“It also shows that sometimes you just don’t know what’s going on in someone’s life.”

If you’ve been affected by this story and want to talk to someone, you can call the Samaritans free on 116 123 or at [email protected]

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