Kieron: I need a liver transplant
Ex-England star has bile disease
FORMER England midfielder Kieron Dyer has revealed he needs an urgent liver transplant after being diagnosed with a rare condition.
The 42-year-old is suffering from primary sclerosing cholangitis, which attacks the bile ducts and can leave them scarred, damaging the liver.
Ipswich Town under-23 boss Dyer was diagnosed after being admitted to hospital on Wednesday to establish the cause of recent health problems.
His club confirmed yesterday that the former Newcastle United and West Ham player now needs a transplant.
Dyer was told in 2019 that he would need a new liver one day.
He will undergo tests over the next week to confirm when.
The dad of two said: “I see myself as a very positive person that will overcome this minor setback.
“I’m very grateful to the club, the supporters and the general public for their messages of support.
“I would like to ask everyone now to respect my and my family’s privacy.” Ipswich Town said: “U23 manager Kieron Dyer has been managing problems with his liver for the past couple of years, and now requires a transplant.”
Dyer had two spells at Ipswich Town and was signed by Newcastle for £6.5million in 1996.
He also played for West Ham, QPR and Middlesbrough.
The Sky Sports pundit won 33 caps as a midfielder for England but retired in 2013 aged 34 after an injury-hit career.
Former I’m A Celebrity star Kieron, who came fourth in the 15th series in 2015, is married to Holly.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a rare condition in which scarring narrows the bile ducts and forces bile to back up into the liver.
Bile is a digestive juice which breaks down fats in the body and is also essential for absorbing certain vitamins.
It is made by the liver and travels through ducts to the gall bladder and small intestine. If allowed to build up over time, it can cause cirrhosis.
Symptoms of the disease include extreme fatigue, abdominal pain, yellowing of the skin and eyes, itchy skin and chills.
Dyer has suffered a range of health problems.
In September his lung collapsed while filming TV show Celebrity SAS and he withdrew for medical reasons due to a fractured rib.
He said afterwards: “There were quite a few things to overcome.
“I’d had hypothermia, and I had a fractured rib, a collapsed lung, and one of my testicles was as big as an apple.
“When I had my first hospital visit my lung wasn’t picked up.
“I was about to fly but I didn’t feel quite right and went to hospital again and they spotted it. It was lucky I didn’t get on the plane.”
During the show, Dyer also revealed the emotional toll of being sexually abused by a now-deceased great-uncle when he was a boy aged “11 or 12”.
During a “kill or be killed” exercise on the show, he repeatedly thumped 'redman” instructor Jason “Foxy” Fox.
Afterwards he blamed the abuse for turning him “into a monster” but said he had changed his mindset.
He added: “I’m not a victim no more.”
I see myself as a very positive person that will overcome this minor setback
KIERON DYER ON HEARING HE REQUIRES A TRANSPLANT