Damaged
My Story
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4.2 • 10 Ratings
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- £1.99
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- £1.99
Publisher Description
As a young lad growing up on a Manchester council estate, all Paul Stewart dreamed of was making it as a professional footballer. It was a dream that would lead him into a nightmare of sexual and physical abuse from which he has still not recovered.
Stewart was abused every day for four years by his junior football coach. He suffered in silence and embarked on a successful career that saw him play for Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Sunderland, scoring in an FA Cup final and winning caps for England. Behind it all, he was a broken man – many times he wished he could end his life. He turned to drink and drugs as a way of coping with his devastating secret.
In 2016, Stewart was sitting at his office desk one morning when he read a Daily Mirror story about a footballer who had been abused. His world was about to change…
Paul Stewart: Damaged is one of the most powerful and emotionally charged football life stories you will read.
Customer Reviews
Outstanding
Paul has shown tremendous courage in order to write about his circumstance of abuse growing up and the impact it has had in his life. In doing so, he has empowered many people with a similar background. Paul reveals the emotional toll it has had and he has done so in a sensitive and erudite manner, thus giving people hope. In times of darkness and destruction, Paul has shown the way that we can all heal and be happy in spite of this. Thank you Paul. You have the heart of a lion.
Heart wrenching and courageous
I have always admired Paul Stewart as a footballer and have followed his career with interest over the years.
I enjoyed the television series ‘Premier Passions’ years ago.
Paul is a very courageous man and his reading his story broke my heart in equal measure with indignation for the torture that he went through.
Paul has made such a difference by coming forward with his story and I really hope that this does enlighten clubs and the FA to the dangers out there.
5 star reading but uncomfortable at times.
Wow, what a powerful, disturbing story with determination to move on and help others, much respect to Paul and all the other people who waved their anonymity to come forward.