A female footballer who was hospitalised with anorexia says watching her former teammates win the Euros with the Lionesses helped her beat the illness.
Maddie Blackburn, 23, was in hospital for her eating disorder when she watched Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone, who she previously played with, beat Germany.
She said it was 'surreal' watching them on TV while she was in hospital, which kickstarted her into recovery, forcing her to gain weight.
Now, Maddie is in recovery from the illness and is even back training with a local women's football team and hopes to study football coaching at university.
She said: "I played football since I was very little so it was quite surreal watching them play on TV in front of thousands of people while I was just sat in hospital.
"I just thought 'what am I actually doing with my life?'
"It was an eye-opener because I had been in hospital for around seven months at that point.
"I thought that I either need to help myself or I wouldn't even up recovering.
"I think with anorexia, you can have all the help and support in the world but it's you that needs to choose to eat.
"I think I needed something to motivate me but it was always going to be football because I played for years and years.
"Then I think the Euros changed everything really."
After she started losing a lot of weight, Maddie's mum took her to the doctors and she was eventually admitted to Cheadle Royal Hospital’s eating disorder unit in 2021.
The footballer was in there for six months in 2021, but sadly she relapsed and went back into hospital in 2022.
Now she's started training with a local women's football team - which is something she never thought she would do because of how hard it is to recover from anorexia.
Maddie said: "I've just started training with a local team.
"I want to start playing back to the level I was a few years ago but I think it's going to take quite a while because I've not got my strength back yet.
"I think I'm quite shocked I'm playing again because I didn't expect to be in this position.
"I thought I would be in and out of hospital constantly, even though I didn't want that but Anorexia is one of the hardest illnesses to recover from.
"I kind of just accepted that was going to be me for the rest of my life, but I can say now that it's not."
Maddie Blackburn, 23, was in hospital for her eating disorder when she watched Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone, who she previously played with, beat Germany.
She said it was 'surreal' watching them on TV while she was in hospital, which kickstarted her into recovery, forcing her to gain weight.
Now, Maddie is in recovery from the illness and is even back training with a local women's football team and hopes to study football coaching at university.
She said: "I played football since I was very little so it was quite surreal watching them play on TV in front of thousands of people while I was just sat in hospital.
"I just thought 'what am I actually doing with my life?'
"It was an eye-opener because I had been in hospital for around seven months at that point.
"I thought that I either need to help myself or I wouldn't even up recovering.
"I think with anorexia, you can have all the help and support in the world but it's you that needs to choose to eat.
"I think I needed something to motivate me but it was always going to be football because I played for years and years.
"Then I think the Euros changed everything really."
After she started losing a lot of weight, Maddie's mum took her to the doctors and she was eventually admitted to Cheadle Royal Hospital’s eating disorder unit in 2021.
The footballer was in there for six months in 2021, but sadly she relapsed and went back into hospital in 2022.
Now she's started training with a local women's football team - which is something she never thought she would do because of how hard it is to recover from anorexia.
Maddie said: "I've just started training with a local team.
"I want to start playing back to the level I was a few years ago but I think it's going to take quite a while because I've not got my strength back yet.
"I think I'm quite shocked I'm playing again because I didn't expect to be in this position.
"I thought I would be in and out of hospital constantly, even though I didn't want that but Anorexia is one of the hardest illnesses to recover from.
"I kind of just accepted that was going to be me for the rest of my life, but I can say now that it's not."
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SportsTranscript
00:00 My name's Maddy Blackman, I'm 23 and I'm from Lancashire.
00:08 Well I was actually in hospital when the Euros was playing and I think I just felt proud that England women were getting the recognition that they deserve and women's football as a whole.
00:22 Especially when it wasn't as big when I used to play a few years ago and I think it gives girls younger than myself and older the opportunity to get into the game,
00:35 especially when more money is being funded into clubs to support young girls and women.
00:41 I think it gave me a purpose to actually sort myself and do well. I think with this sort of mental illness you have to sort of recover yourself,
00:53 like you can get all the help and support in the world but it's you that has to do it in the end.
00:58 And I think with the sport as well, you have to be the best physically and mentally to be able to compete and I know I can't do that in the position that I was in,
01:09 in hospital and when I look at players winning the Euros, especially the women, it just makes you think that nothing's impossible.
01:19 I think it never really leaves you, I think you just have to learn to deal with it but I think when you find something to concentrate on and find a purpose.
01:29 I would like to achieve playing proper games, not just training, I think I need to get myself in a bit better of a physical position to be able to do that.
01:40 But long term I think as well, just getting in the position I was a few years ago, playing at a high level for teams that I've played in in the past.
01:49 I feel like it's a bit of an escape, whether it's playing or watching.
01:54 [BLANK_AUDIO]