'I'm gay' – Stan Collymore responds to homophobic message on social media

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The former Liverpool, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest attacker shut down an abusive reply on X with a suprising post on Saturday

Stan Collymore applauds fans at the City Ground during Nottingham Forest's Premier League game against Everton in March 2023.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Former Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Aston Villa attacker Stan Collymore has shut down an abusive message on social media with a surprising reply.

Collymore, who has been candid about his mental health struggles online, has had to deal with an array of abuse on X (formerly Twitter) over the years.

Recently, the 52-year-old has posted a series of videos showing his sessions on a treadmill as he battles his demons.

Under his latest post on X, which was published on Saturday, the former England international received a series of abusive and even homophobic replies.

One of those asked: "What's with the gay look with the t shirt around the neck? I’d really like to know…….."

Collymore quoted the post and wrote, simply: "I'm gay."

The former striker, whose £8.5 million move from Forest to Liverpool broke the British transfer record, has close to 900,000 followers on X.

He was praised by many for his reply.

Collymore was diagnosed with clinical depression, stress and anxiety while still playing for Villa in 1999 and retired in 2001 following a short spell at Real Oviedo.

In his autobiography, he also revealed he had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

He has used his account on X to raise awareness for depression and to help those struggling from related conditions in recent years.

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Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson has candidly opened up to 2,500 schoolchildren on his own mental health struggles and how a resilient mindset has helped him.

Former footballer and Sky Sports presenter Chris Kamara has urged people not to suffer in silence with their mental health.

And Mark Hughes has insisted that mental health is key for footballers to deal with the game's highs and lows.

Ben Hayward
Ben Hayward
Weekend editor

Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.