COVID Isolation Prevented Me From Seeing My Kids For One Year – Henry

Ex-French striker, Thierry Henry has come out to admit that he struggled with depression during his playing career. He recently had his say to Steven Bartlett in a new interview, and fans have been reacting.

According to him, even if he never knew he was depressed at any point during his football career, he found himself lying a lot because society was not ready for his truth.

Henry added that COVID isolation that prevented him from seeing his kids for one year was very tough on him.

His words, “Throughout my career, I must have been in depression.

Did I know it? No. Did I do something about it? Obviously no. But I had adapted in a certain way.

I was lying for a very long time because society wasn’t ready to hear what I had to say.

Everything came at once, especially during the Covid time.

I knew it before but I was lying to myself. I was making sure those feelings weren’t going too far, I put the ‘cape’ on. But when you’re not a player anymore, you can’t put that ‘cape’ on anymore.

We tend to run instead of facing our problems, that is what we do all the time. We try to stay busy, we try to avoid the problem or not think about it.

Covid happened and I asked ‘why are you running, what are you doing?’ I was isolated and not being able to see my kids for a year was tough. I don’t even need to explain that one.

Something like that had to happen to me to understand vulnerability, empathy, crying. Understand that emotions are emotions. Anger is normal but don’t become angry. Jealousy is normal but don’t become jealous.

I was crying almost every day for no reason, tears were coming. I don’t know why but maybe they were waiting for a very long time.

I don’t know whether that needed to come out. It was weird, but in a good way. There was stuff I couldn’t control and I didn’t try to.

You have been told since you’re young, whether at home or in your job, “don’t be that guy, don’t show you’re vulnerable. If you cry, what are they going to think?”

I was crying but, technically, it was the young Thierry crying. He was crying for everything he didn’t get.”