Alex Scott has revealed she came dangerously close to becoming an alcoholic before seeking therapy to help her address her childhood trauma.
The football expert, 39, claims her father Tony was a “controlling, violent drunk” who was “stupidly cruel” and abuse, both physical and mental, to her, her older brother, Ronnie, and her mother, Carol.
Tony previously vehemently denied the allegations when he made them in his memoir How (Not) To Be Strong, published in 2022.
When Alex was eight years old, his mother abandoned his father, but the sports star was left with deep psychological wounds that he only addressed in 2018 when he decided to start therapy.
Speaking candidly in an interview with The timesAlex admitted that he almost turned to alcohol, like his father, to hide his problems.
Alex Scott has revealed she came dangerously close to becoming an alcoholic after experiencing a traumatic childhood with domestic abuse.
The football expert, 39, claims her father Tony was a “controlling and violent drunk” who was “stupidly cruel” and abused, both physically and mentally, her, her older brother, Ronnie, and his mother, Carol.
“If I had a problem, I would think, ‘A drink will fix it,’ before adding, ‘I’ll always be in therapy.’ It’s done a lot for me.”
Even with therapy, Alex still experiences the effect his father has had on his life and finds it difficult to show physical affection.
‘We were not allowed to express emotions. Dad didn’t allow us to hug each other or say “I love you.” He had a great impact on all of us. To this day, if I want to show love to people, I’ll do it by taking them out to dinner and paying.’
However, Alex recently found love once again with singer Jess Glynne after the pair ‘launched’ their relationship at the Brits in February.
Last July, Alex was announced as an ambassador for domestic abuse charity Refuge, after speaking out about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father.
The star said it was “an incredible honour” to join the charity, with whom she was already working closely since the release of her candid memoir.
She added that she wants to use her voice and platform to raise awareness about domestic abuse and “ensure women know what support is available.”
Refuge have said they are extremely “proud” and “grateful” to Alex for his past and continued support.
Speaking candidly in an interview with The Times, Alex admitted that he almost turned to alcohol, like his father, to hide his problems: “If I had a problem, I thought, ‘One drink would solve it,'” before adding: ‘I’ll always be there. in therapy. He’s done a lot for me’ (Alex pictured with her mother Carol in 2019)
Tony (pictured) vehemently denied the allegations when he made them in his memoir How (Not) To Be Strong, published in 2022.
However, Alex recently found love once again with singer Jess Glynne after the pair ‘launched’ their relationship at the Brits in February (pictured in Cannes in May).
Alex previously revealed that he did not communicate with his mother about his troubled childhood until the release of his book.
Appearing on Loose Women last year, she said: “I think in the world I grew up in, everyone had the perception that you have to be strong and what I had to do was strip that away and show my emotions. and vulnerability”.
Breaking down into tears, she continued: “We felt like we couldn’t do anything and you wanted to save your mother.” I thought she was better now and would be fine, but the images come back.
“You’re lying in bed listening to everything and praying that your mother will be alive in the morning.
‘My mom is my everything and I want to give her everything. The victims think they are cowards, but my mother is not a coward and she saved me and my brother.
‘We didn’t know how to communicate it until the book. He did a lot of therapy to break generational cycles. I was ready to talk and my mom wasn’t. And she loved it and learned a lot about me and how my brother and I affect each other.”
Tony previously denied Alex’s allegations in a statement to MailOnline and said he couldn’t understand why she was portraying him this way.
He shouted: ‘I have no idea why she is saying all these things. I grew up in a strict but loving Jamaican family and Alex should know what they are like. I taught her discipline, I did a lot to help her.
Alex previously broke down in tears when he revealed he is still suffering from terrible flashbacks to his childhood.
‘Maybe she’s judging me by today’s standards, I don’t know. Parents were much harsher back then. But I was never violent, I’m just not like that. I never hit Alex or anyone else in the family or did anything like that.
Alex then responded after the interview, telling the BBC: “I almost feel angry at myself for allowing him to hurt me again with those claims.”
Speaking about her coping mechanisms as a child, Alex previously said: ‘The football cage was a safe space. I felt fun, I felt free and at home I was locked up, it was an environment where everything was very controlled.
“I really wanted to love my dad, I was dad’s little daughter, but he had this dark side and that’s a side we saw a lot growing up.
‘The drink helped him come out a lot more, you could see him spinning around, that’s how he took it out on all of us, even more so on my mother.
‘Since I was a baby I could feel the environment we are in. If you step out of line, you know what’s going to happen and you don’t want that to happen…
“What my mother would go through, the terror, the helplessness of not being able to do anything, you’re just living in fear.”
- Help and support is available at www.womensaid.org.uk or contact Refugio free of charge on 0808 2000 247.