Worthington widow’s money woe

Frank Worthington’s widow has revealed she is being forced to sell the family home due to an uncertain financial future which she describes as “terribly bleak”.

One of English football’s great mavericks, Worthington died in hospital on March 22 at the age of 72 following a long illness and the funeral of the former Huddersfield and Leicester forward will take place in Halifax today.

During a lengthy playing career, the striker represented more than 20 clubs but the latter years of his life saw wife Carol became his fulltime carer with benefits their only source of income.

Worthington battled dementia and prostate cancer after retirement and while he initially earned a living on the after-dinner speaking circuit, offers eventually stopped and his death has left his widow in a precarious position.

Carol Worthington, speaking at their Huddersfield home, said: “Frank had been declared bankrupt after returning from playing in America when he was landed with a big, unpaid tax bill. After the money stopped coming in I was made bankrupt as well. Everyone was chasing us for money but with sickness and other benefits we just about managed to get the interest paid on the mortgage.

“When Frank’s illness got particularly bad over the last five years, I became his full-time carer but now he has gone that income has stopped.

“I can’t pay the mortgage so I have got to sell our home. I’m applying for Universal Credit and hopefully I can get benefits to pay my rent somewhere but the future looks terribly bleak.”

The 62-year-old revealed Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, had “helped in many ways” and he is set to attend Worthington’s funeral on Friday.

A Justgiving page has been set up in memory of Worthington to raise money for both his wife of 35 years and dementia charities, with 90 per cent of the final total set to go to a charity.