Aerial sports host Jeff Stelling broke down in tears on Soccer Saturday after speaking about the danger of eating disorders.
The 68-year-old, who is leaving Sky Sports at the end of the season after almost 30 years, gave an emotional speech as the Soccer Saturday panel discussed topics of note. Mental Health Awareness Week.
Stelling called the UK government’s handling of eating disorders a “national disgrace” and was moved to tears as he opened up about the issue.
“It’s a tough subject, it’s my second to last show so I’m going to do my last kind of rant if you want and I have to be careful to get it right,” Stelling said.
“There was a march this morning, it’s actually about (anorexia sufferer) Abi Davies. There was a march this morning in the center London by the people running the Dump The Scales campaign. It is led by the tireless Hope Virgin every year.
“Each year, more people die from eating disorders than from any other mental illness. THE governmentThe lack of awareness and funding is a national shame. They decided to put calories on people’s menus, for God’s sake.
Up to 20 percent of all cases of eating disorders end in death and so the cycle continues. As Abi said: “A boy, a girl, a woman, a man goes to seek help, they are told that they are not skinny enough, that they are not of sufficient weight to have need treatment.”
“They go away, they lose more weight, they sink deeper and deeper into the mental quagmire they’re in, they have suicidal tendencies.” They are then told: “you are now too thin to be treated” and they are offered palliative care, for God’s sake.
“So we’re not going to help you, but we’ll try to make sure you die comfortably.” It’s 2023.
“Eating disorders have been swept under the rug. No one should die from an eating disorder in 2023. People with eating disorders need action and help, and they need it now.
