Dele Alli has revealed that he has spent 6 weeks in rehab dealing with significant past trauma, his mental health struggles and a sleeping pill addiction.
Coming out publicly and talking about his issues deserves so much respect.
I had to let him go to give him a better future. Emotionally, it was heartbreaking but it was the right thing to do,’ she told The Sun.
‘I had a serious drink problem triggered by my unhappy childhood. Social Services visited me after complaints from my neighbours about how I was raising my children but my kids were never taken away.
‘It was my decision to let Dele live with another family. I knew that was the only way he could fulfil his dream of becoming a professional footballer.’
In 2018, she told MailOnline she has not had any contact with her son for over two years.
Alli, two years prior to that interview, made the decision to use the name Dele on the back of his football shirt rather than his surname. The young star said he felt no affinity to the name Alli. His time at Tottenham shone a light on one of the sport’s brightest talents but, with problems both on and off the pitch, it was difficult for Alli to maintain.
And now, in an interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap, Alli gave an insight into some of the harrowing incidents that have affected both his life and career.
‘[My childhood is] something I haven’t really spoken about that much, to be honest,’ he said. ‘I mean, I think there were a few incidents that could give you kind of a brief understanding.
