Stephen Warnock: Ex-England defender considered taking own life

Former England international Stephen Warnock says he considered suicide after taking poor financial advice.

The 42-year-old pundit made 550 appearances for 10 clubs and earned two caps for England before retiring in 2018.

Warnock says “ill-advised” financial advice left him depressed and with suicidal thoughts.

“I’d contemplated taking my own life at one stage. I was in so much of a rut,” Warnock told Sky Sports., external

“I didn’t sleep properly for six years off the back of that [financial advice]. I was going back into training every morning on maybe three hours’ sleep.”

The breakdown of Warnock’s marriage coincided with his retirement, while there was a period in which he did not see his children.

Warnock, who had stints at Liverpool, Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League, said his financial difficulties led to him postponing retirement, as he needed to continue earning money.

Warnock added that in the final years of his career he became “frustrated” with football and “lost the buzz” as he dropped down the leagues.

“Now I look back at it and think ‘wow, I was massively depressed for years’. I retired at 35. I probably retired mentally at 31,” he said.

It was not until a chance meeting with an old friend, who was training to become a counsellor, that Warnock started to view his career and life differently.

“He told me I looked a mess on TV, and sounded it – and he said he’d make me feel better within two weeks. I dug deep, there were a lot of tears, there was a lot of honesty,” said Warnock.

“I remember coming off that call, and thinking I felt so different within one session. It was like a fix, I needed it.”

He added: “I started engaging more with my kids, they could notice a difference in me, and I started to get a sense of looking back on my career and not being disappointed in it.

“It put a positive spin on it, made me realised what I’d achieved in my career.”

Warnock said his friend later told him he could see the difference in his voice and how he looked on TV because of his growing confidence.

He added: “I felt so proud, because I knew how much I’d been through. It was one of the best moments of my life.”