Gary Speed's death led Craig Bellamy to seek therapy after being left devastated

Wales managerCraig Bellamy has opened up about the mental health struggles he went through after the death of Gary Speed. He was only 42 years old when he was found dead by his wife Louise at their Huntington home in Chester on November 27, 2011.

The former Wales manager died by suicide, leaving behind two young sons as well as his devastated wife. His passing deeply affected Bellamy, who had played alongside Speed in the Premier League for Newcastle United and at international level with Wales.

After the grieving process ledto Bellamy experiencing mental health issues and contributed to the breakdown of his own marriage in December 2012, the ex-Liverpool and Manchester City forward sought therapy.

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The now Wales manager revealed this in an interview on , where he admitted he initially resisted the idea of therapy, which was suggested by a club doctor. He said: "One or two people were speaking to psychologists and it was like, 'Who does that? What's it going to do, make you play better?'

"That's the mindset. It wasn't until later on when certain instances happened that made you reflect and look at yourself and think, 'Where am I going? What's my world going to be like because this is going to end?

"'This game is going to end for me whether we like it or not, I ain't playing anymore.' It was like, 'I've got a big chunk of my life to live. How do I want to live that? I need to start having a real serious look at myself.'"

When asked about the "certain instances" that led him to seek help, the former striker said: "When Speedo passed away. It was a moment I could not understand. I didn't see it coming.

"Then you look back and it's like, 'It's not him. There's no way.' But I knew how clever he was. He was an incredible leader, an incredible person.

"He would give you the right advice, but kick you up the backside when you needed it as well, which you always respected because you knew it came from a good place with him.

"When that happened, it was a strange moment because it was going so well for him at Wales. He loved it, he loved what he was doing with us. But also I was with him for four odd years and respected and really admired him. It was like, 'If it could happen to him, we're all in trouble.'

"That's how I felt. It was like, 'I need to have a real [think].' I was lucky we had a doctor at Liverpool. He just had a quiet word with me and said, 'I'd like you to go and see someone.' It was a completely different world."

Bellamy went on to disclose the concerns which ran through his mind at the time. He was worried about feeling like a "complete failure" if he did not win a trophy before retirement, a notion his therapist dismissed as "crazy". His stint as Wales boss has proved anything but unsuccessful so far.

Since his appointment in the summer of 2024, he's steered the team to five wins, four draws and just a single defeat, a heart-wrenching 4-3 loss to Belgium. In the latter, Bellamy's side made a remarkable comeback from 3-0 down to level the score at 3-3, only for Kevin De Bruyne to win the game with a strike in the 88th minute.

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