Luke Chadwick talks about being ridiculed for looks for Mental Health Awareness Week
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“Iron Maiden’s biggest hit is Number of the Beast – and if you want to know the number of the beast, Luke Chadwick wears number 36.”
“This photo of Luke Chadwick was ruined… when Luke Chadwick turned up.”
Presenter Nick Hancock leans back and smiles at his joke. The audience and teams can’t stop laughing. Cue applause.
As a teenager, Luke Chadwick and his insecurities were a target on the BBC’s sports quiz show They Think It’s All Over.
“In the end, it lowers your self-esteem a lot,” the former Manchester United midfielder tells BBC Sport.
“That’s all I’m known for and spoken about – the way I looked. That isn’t right.”
Chadwick was just 18 when he made his senior debut for United in the 1999-2000 season, after two years in the academy.
He made 39 appearances for the club, scoring twice, and has two Premier League winners’ medals.
However, fans and the media made fun of his appearance – “spots on my face, teeth sticking out, that sort of thing” – which would affect his mental health.
Chadwick, who moved to Manchester when he left school at 16, says he was a shy teenager and the comments played on his anxiety.
“I wouldn’t want to go out. I was always looking at people,” he says
“People knew who I was because I played for Manchester United and I always assumed they’d be saying horrible things.
“Being a quiet, nervous boy anyway, it sort of intensified that and maybe stunted my growth as a person.”
They Think It’s All Over ran on BBC TV for 11 years between 1995 and 2006, and Chadwick was one of its many targets.
“I became a picture of fun, and that was probably the hardest thing,” the 39-year-old says.
“A popular TV show – [the attention] was magnified, so that’s what I was seen as by everyone off the back of that.
“I used to dread it coming on the telly. I wouldn’t watch it but then I’d get a text off someone saying ‘oh you’ve been on that show again’ as if it was a joke.
“Obviously people were finding it funny, but it was eating away at me a bit inside while that was happening.”
Hancock – speaking on BBC Breakfast on Monday – said he was “appalled” and felt “a great deal of responsibility and shame”.
“Listening to Luke is incredibly humbling, he’s shown so much more generosity and understanding and good judgement than we did at the time.
“I’m appalled for him and at myself. When I hear him speaking, I’m full of admiration for the present Luke Chadwick and full of sympathy for the young Luke Chadwick.
“The terrible thing about comedians and comedy shows is that if you’re getting laughs, you think you’re doing a good job.
“Of course the worst thing for Luke was that it became a bit of a running joke. To us it was a photograph. That’s not good obviously, we should have been thinking about the person, but that’s what can happen.”
Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker – who also featured on the show – tweeted: “I was part of that show, therefore, I too would like to apologise to Luke Chadwick for any hurt caused.”
Chadwick – who has now gone into coaching – did not say anything about how he felt at the time because of the belief, held by some people, that public figures have to accept a certain amount of ridicule.
He says the comments lessened when he left United, and he has since learned to laugh at what was said.
After Old Trafford, Chadwick went on to play for West Ham United, Stoke City, Norwich, MK Dons and Cambridge United, retiring in 2016.
In a recent post on social media, Chadwick wrote about the importance of talking about feelings to “get through the tough times”.
And in another he said he “holds no grudges” against those who mocked his appearance.
“If anyone had spoke to me about it – even my family and friends – I would say ‘I don’t care, it’s fine’ and try and brush it under the carpet,” he adds.
“Looking back now, it would have been better for me to open up on it as a young boy.
“I’d rather be remembered as someone who was quite good at football than just for the way I may have looked at a certain time in my life.”
Hancock said he would like to apologise to Chadwick in person, adding: “Nobody should expect Luke to have called us on it, but it would have been effective if say the PFA (Professional Footballers Association) or his club had said something.
“I’m desperate to be in touch with him. I would be happy to meet him and hopefully we could put it to bed.
“If he feels he couldn’t forgive me, although he sounds like he may be able to, I would understand that too.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by issues raised in this story, help and support is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline
- Find out more about the BBC’s focus on mental health this month
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