LIONESSES hero Chloe Kelly has revealed that she thought she was having a heart attack and had hair falling out after being left in a “vicious cycle” following her move to Arsenal.
The winger headed to North London on loan from Women’s Super League rivals Manchester City in January.
And, having helped Arsenal to Champions League glory, Kelly sealed a permanent switch during the summer.
But she suffered from crippling anxiety following the switch and her husband needed to intervene when she was in desperate need.
Speaking on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, Kelly, 27, said: “I loved sitting in the dark and I was like, ‘This isn’t okay’.
“Just being by myself, quiet and sitting in the dark. It got to the point with my anxiety that I couldn’t get off the bathroom floor because I was just being sick.
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“I tried taking the dogs for a walk, colouring in and it wasn’t an eating disorder.
“It was a vicious cycle because I didn’t want to feel anxious and I didn’t want to throw up, but when I felt anxious I just needed to throw up.
“There was one occasion where Scott (Moore) got me off the bathroom floor and put me in the hallway, just to stop me throwing up.”
Kelly went on to spearhead England to Euro 2025 glory during a whirlwind summer.
But her anxiety reached a stage that she was left fearing that she was having a heart attack.
And the former Everton livewire, who is in the running to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year this week, was also diagnosed with alopecia after spotting bald patches.
Kelly added: “I started losing my hair. I was like, ‘No, this isn’t acceptable’.
“It carried on and I remember saying to Scott, ‘I feel like I’ve got a bald patch in my hair’.
“I noticed then on the other side another bald patch and it was then that I thought I had alopecia.
“I went to the doctor at England and just said, ‘My hair’s falling out but it’s itching as well on my head’.
“He sent me to some specialists and she was amazing and told me I had alopecia.
“I was like, now I’m seeing the physical effects it (anxiety) is having on my body, not only mental.
“That was a tough time because you care about your appearance a lot and you want to feel confident. I remember my first game at Arsenal covering my bald patches.
“I had panic attacks and thought I was having a heart attack at times. When my hair was coming out, I remember questioning whether I can go fully bald. She was like, ‘it takes three months’.
“So for the next three months it was like waiting and seeing. Now, I look at my hair and it’s grown back.
“I had my hair in a pony in the recent camp and my hair was growing outwards. Incredible things have happened since I made that step.”
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