Way ahead is mind for hero Kelly
Women’s football legend Kelly Smith has revealed the mental health issues that plagued her time in the States have led her to become a patron of a charity set up in the name of one of her biggest fans.
Smith spent 10 years with Arsenal across three spells and is also England Women’s record goalscorer.
The 46-year- old spent a significant portion of her career in the United States, playing for several clubs in the NWSL.
It was dur ing that spell Smith suffered from the mental health issues that have led to her becoming a patron for We Mind & Kelly Matters.
Now she has opened up on why she wants to help those experiencing problems with their mental health.
Smith said: “I was really low, on a slippery slope down a dark path and real ly struggling with my mental health. I felt really isolated out in America.
“I didn’t speak to anybody, I was drinking every day, wanted to kill myself, fortunately didn’t go through with it. But just those deep, dark moments that I had, it’s just a scary place to be in.
“So I’ve been there, I’ve experienced it and if I can help anybody out who is suffering or has suffered in the past, encourage them to get help or speak to people, that’s what I want to do.”
As a result of her experiences and recovery, Smith decided to become a patron of a charity set up in the name of Kelly Hewitt, who tragically took her own life in December 2018.
Smith said: “She was a big Arsenal fan and I was one of her idols.
“It just struck me. Her parents wrote to me and told me what had happened and I wrote back, the dialogue went back and forth and they asked me to be a patron.
“I was just absolutely gobsmacked and honoured, the fact they would ask me to do that. I never got the chance to meet Kelly.
“I knew that she was a wonderful girl who liked to play hockey, football, cricket, just an all-round bubbly character. The aim of the charity is to educate and support people with mental health issues.”
The Arsenal icon has also recently become a brand ambassador for betting company BK8, who have made a significant donation to We Mind & Kelly Matters, an action Smith has hailed.
She said: “They are very generously donating £15,000 towards this charity.
“This money will help young children to get counselling and raise awareness that there’s a charity if they’re struggling, who they can reach out to and get support from.”
Smith also encouraged anybody to speak to someone in the first step to recovery.
She said: “They can shift your mindset and guide you in the right direction.”