ITV pundit is forced off air after mother killed by truck
World Cup pundit Nadia Nadim was forced off air in the middle of a match after being told her mother had been killed by a truck.
The Afghan-born footballer, 34, had been covering the match between denmark and Tunisia for ITV on Tuesday.
But the ex-Manchester City forward, who represents the danish national team, left the studio before the final whistle after learning her mother, Hadima, had been killed.
The 57-year-old was reportedly struck by a digger in the danish town of Uldum while returning home from the gym.
She is thought to have been killed instantly after the driver failed to see her when she stepped into the road. danish reports added that a police investigation is under way.
Miss Nadim wrote on Instagram: ‘Words cannot describe what I’m feeling. I have lost the most important person in my life and it happened so sudden and unexpected.
‘She was only 57. She was a warrior who had fought for every inch of her life. She didn’t give me life once but twice, and everything I/we are is because of her.
‘I have lost my home and I know nothing’s gonna ever feel the same. life is unfair and I don’t understand why her and why this way. I love you and I will see you again.’ She added: ‘Her funeral is going to be soon... please come and show her the love, respect and prayers she deserves.’
An ITV spokesman said they were ‘deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic news’. The spokesman added: ‘We have offered Nadia our support and our thoughts are with her and those closest to her at this incredibly difficult time.’
Miss Nadim and her mother fled Afghanistan when she was just 11 after her father was executed by the Taliban.
They moved to a refugee camp in denmark where Miss Nadim discovered football after seeing a group of girls playing it over a fence. She was eventually allowed to take part in their training despite not speaking any English or danish. She made the team within three months and was later awarded asylum, allowing her and her four sisters to stay in denmark. In 2009 she debuted for the danish senior national team as the first ever non-danish born member. She has played for the team almost 100 times. Miss Nadim, who qualified as a doctor in January, currently plays in the National Women’s Soccer league in the US for racing louisville FC. She also won the French league title in the 2020-2021 season while playing with Paris Saint-German.
off the pitch, she is a passionate ambassador for Unesco and regularly speaks on panels about children’s education and sports. She was also the first female footballer from denmark to be sponsored by Nike and has worked with brands including Visa and Hugo Boss. In 2018 she was named by Forbes as one of the ‘most powerful women in international sports’.