Kieran Tierney has opened up on losing friends to suicide and the problems he faced when leaving Celtic.
A 2019 switch to Arsenal from Parkhead was a big moment for the left-back from Muirhouse, but he admits homesickness hit him hard in London. Adding to it was the loss of close friends, with 'two or three' losing their lives to suicide. Tierney was speaking as part of his club's involvement in Amazon Prime's 'All or Nothing' series.
The Celtic academy product's emotional revelations come amid new statistics that show Glasgow had the highest level of suicides in Scotland over the past five years. Figures released by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) show that the number of suicides in Scotland had decreased overall, with 753 recorded suicides in 2021, down from 805 the year previous. Tierney now feels he has an added responsibility on his shoulders.
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He said: “It was hard to start with, I was really struggling. Really low point. Homesickness was terrible to start with. Outside training you had a lot of time to think.
"I’m not saying I was ever in a bad, bad place where I was suicidal. But my friends have been. Two or three of them have committed suicide, lost their life. You’re with these people and you don’t know a thing. They’ve not spoken.
“So I think I feel a certain responsibility to try to help as much as I can because I kind of know how it feels to be in a certain place.”
Those who need support can contact Samaritans on 0330 094 5717.
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