‘Well done brother…’ – Tony Bellew hails ex-Everton player for emotional admission

Former world champion boxer Tony Bellew has praised former Everton winger Aaron Lennon for speaking out about mental health.

   Lennon, who originally joined Everton on loan before agreeing a permanent deal until 2018 in 2015, spoke about the time he was taken to hospital at the club – where he was detained under the Mental Health Act  in 2007.

   In 2017, he was arrested in the act and taken to hospital after police were called to reports of a man in danger while at Everton.    He talked about an incident while being treated for a stress-related illness.    Now the 37-year-old has opened up about the latest edition of The Overlap and how it has affected his mental health.    “Seven years ago I was in a really, really bad situation,” he began.    “For example, severe depression.”

   – It probably started earlier, but I actually didn’t know what happened then.    I just wake up every day, I don’t know why I feel this way, I have low energy, I don’t really want to be with the guys at training.

   “I was one of those, quite old school, kept to myself. I used to try to take care of everyone else. I never thought, should I go ask, tell the doctor, ‘I’ don’t feel well here?”

   So I just tried to shake it off, but it kept getting worse.    You get to the point where you can’t even get out of bed, you don’t want to be around people, you just want to be in the dark.

   Bellew, a famous Everton fan, paid tribute to the former winger on X and said his interview would help a lot of people.    “Az is a top man and this interview will help so many men out there who are struggling! Well done for speaking up. A man we ALL NEED to follow… #SpeakUp #MentalHealth’.

   Lennon played 77 times under Roberto Martinez, scoring nine times and providing three assists, but fell under Ronald Koeman and left for Sean Dyche’s Burnley in January 2018.