Jeff Stelling used his platform on his penultimate Sky Sport Soccer Saturday show to raise awareness about the dangers of eating disorders in an emotional clip that saw the presenter break down in tears at the end. Stelling, who is stepping down from his role with Sky Sports after several decades with the broadcaster, was speaking ahead of this weekend’s matches getting underway.
But Stelling wanted to use the opportunity live on air to speak about a topic that was clearly close to his heart. The 68-year-old had to hold back tears at the end of his “rant” in trying to raise awareness about the dangers of eating disorders as the panel marked Mental Health Awareness Week.
“This is a difficult topic, it’s my second last show so I’m going to have my final sort of rant if you like,” he started. “I’ve got to be careful to get it right.
“There was a march this morning, this relates to [anorexia sufferer] Abby Davies actually. There was a march this morning in central London by the people who run the ‘Dump The Scales’ campaign. It’s led by the indefatigable Hope Virgo every year.
“More people die from eating disorders every year than any other mental illness. The Government’s lack of awareness and funding is a national disgrace. They decided to put calories for goodness sake on people’s menus.
“Up to 20 per cent of all eating disorder cases end in death and the cycle goes like that. Abby said: ‘Boy, girl, woman, man, goes for help, they are told they are not thin enough, they are not underweight enough to need treatment’.
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