Gary Speed’s mother and father say they will ‘never recover’ from son’s death

Gary Speed's mother Carol and father Roger
PA Archive/PA Images
Olivia Tobin18 September 2018

The mother and father of Gary Speed have said they will “never recover” from their son’s tragic death.

His parents have revealed heart-breaking details of their grief and how they have coped since the footballing legend’s death, in 2011.

Roger and Carol Speed have opened up about losing their son in new book, Gary Speed: Unspoken – The Family’s Untold Story, which is being serialised in The Mirror.

Carol said she is still unclear why Gary, a father-of-two, took his own life.

Gary Speed and his wife, Louise Speed
PA

She said: “If you don’t know the reason it happened you are never at peace. We didn’t know there was anything wrong with Gary. You never recover. Never. It’s the biggest shock anyone could ever experience.”

She added: “People on the outside looking in would think he had everything going for him. But something was troubling him.

“It doesn’t get any easier. You can live with it more if, say, it was a car accident. Or if you knew he was ill, or could see he was ill, but we didn’t know anything.

“One thing it’s done, I hope, is that it has helped open the doors for people to talk about mental issues.

Gary Speed life in pictures

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“All we can think is that Gary was suffering from depression, although you’d never have known. He would put a smile on his face all the time. But that’s a man thing, isn’t it?”

Gary’s father said in the time since he lost his son, the help he’s received has helped.

He said: “There’s been some brilliant people trying to help us. Chris Coleman, for instance, has been good whenever I’ve met him.”

As well as including words from Gary’s parents, the new book also looks at how his wife, Louise Speed, coped.

For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org

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