26-05-2025
Newcastle star Callum Wilson opens up the 'suicidal moments' he had during his troubled childhood - and reveals he has 'needed to seek therapy' over the past 18 months
Newcastle star Callum Wilson has admitted that football was his 'saviour' after struggling with mental health issues in his childhood.
Wilson, 33, has enjoyed a successful career in English football at the likes of Bournemouth and Newcastle - and has featured nine times for the national side.
In a brutally honest interview, the forward has now opened up on how the sport provided an escape as he battled through 'suicidal moments' growing up.
Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, Wilson said: 'I was so young. I was just thinking this can't be all that life has to offer.
'There was more out there for me. A higher power was calling me and football really was my saviour. It was my escape.
'My mum didn't drive, so I'd always be picked up by my Sunday league coach. When I would leave my home environment, I was going into a family feel with my peers.
'My coach was fantastic. He had a nice family and they would sometimes get me food on the way home.
'I got that love and care that I probably wasn't getting as much at my house - that was not by choice and no fault of my mum's. The environment was dictating who I was becoming. Football was what helped me get away from it all.'
The forward continued by reflecting on how he's battled his mental health challenges have presented themselves later in his career and how he's dealt with them.
'What I've realised is when football and life are going great, you can block it out,' added Wilson.
'I've had a period over the past 18 months where I've had setback after setback, things just got on top and basically it was too much to suppress. It all rose to a head and I was like: 'I need to seek therapy now.'
'I was at a point where I was starting to go back down the wrong path, little things were creeping in like gambling, and I didn't want to become that person so I needed professional help.
'It took a bit of bravery to realise that as strong as I feel my mind is at times, you also can speak. Even just speaking to her [the therapist] was a great help.'
Wilson kicked off his football journey with his hometown club, Coventry City where he racked up 55 appearances and scoring 23 goals by 2014.
In July 2014, AFC Bournemouth snapped up the 22-year-old for a reported £3 million. He went on to score 20 league goals in the 2014-15 Championship season.
The 33-year-old has made 127 appearances for Newcastle and has scored on 49 of those occasions after joining the club from Bournemouth back in 2020.
He recently won his first major trophy with the club after sealing the Carabao Cup trophy by beating Liverpool 2-1 in the final.
He's also made nine appearances for the national side - after making his debut in 2018 - scoring twice.
