Dele Alli shares his traumatic experience as a kid, says he was ‘molested’ by his mom’s friend at the age of 6
The former Spurs midfielder opened up about his Oliver Twist-like childhood in a candid interview.
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Dele open up (credits0 The Mirror)
Dele Alli has recently given an interview that has left the football world shocked and emotional. While speaking to Gary Neville for The Overlap, Dele opened up about his childhood trauma, including being molested and abused. The Everton man also opened up about his current struggles to play the game and the issues that led to his decline.
“It’s not something I have spoken about that much but there were a few incidents that give you an understanding. At six I was molested by my mum’s friend who was at the house at lot; my mum was an alcoholic. I was sent to Africa to learn discipline and then I was sent back. Seven, I started smoking, eight I started dealing drugs. An older person told me that they wouldn’t stop a kid on a bike, so I rode around with my football, and then underneath I’d have the drugs – that was eight. Eleven, I was hung off a bridge by a guy from the next estate,” one could see Alli slowly unchaining the demons of his horrendous past.
He told Gary that he was eventually rescued by his adoptive family. “If God created people, it was them. They are amazing and have helped me a lot,” said the former Spurs youngster as his face lit up talking about his adoptive family. However, his struggles were far from over. He opened up about his failure to manage his work-life stress and revealed his abuse of sleeping pills.
“I got addicted to sleeping tablets and it’s probably a problem that not only I have, I think it’s something that’s going around more than people realize in football. I was in a bad place mentally. So, I decided to go to a modern rehab facility that deals with addiction and mental health and trauma,” added Dele. He has cleaned up his act and is currently rehabilitating from an injury. Dele looks set for the next season as he begins his journey towards redemption.
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Applause pours in for Dele Alli with Harry Kane and Everton leading from the front
Tottenham striker Harry Kane lead the support for the Everton midfielder amid his opening up. Alli recently opened up to Gary Neville and revealed his mental health struggles, addiction to sleeping pills, and the sexual abuse he suffered as a child. Harry Kane was one of the first people to applaud Dele.
Kane took to Twitter to express his support for his former Tottenham teammate, saying: “Proud of @dele_official for speaking out and sharing his experience to try and help others.” Kane and Alli played together at Tottenham Hotspurs, reaching the UEFA Champions League final. Meanwhile, Dele’s current club, Everton, also tweeted:
“The Club has been supporting Dele in both his return to fitness and overcoming the personal challenges highlighted in his interview with The Overlap. Everyone at Everton respects and applauds Dele’s bravery to speak about the difficulties he has faced, as well as seek the help required. The physical and mental welfare of all our players is of paramount importance.“
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Arpan Ghosh
(1403 Articles Published)