In an exclusive interview airing tomorrow morning on BBC Breakfast, Marcus Rashford joins his mum Mel to discuss experiencing food poverty whilst growing up.
Talking with BBC Breakfast’s Sally Nugent, Mel recalls holding down multiple jobs to keep food on the table for Marcus and his siblings.
"I had three jobs and if I didn’t do that we wouldn’t have been able to cook a pot of food, it’s just a bit difficult," she said,
"So Marcus is only telling the story from how he sees it and the words he has been saying come from the bottom of his heart.”
On particularly challenging days she revealed: "Sometimes it was really bad, I’d rather give the food to the kids than give it to myself, sometimes I didn’t get anything to eat.
"Sometimes we didn’t even have a loaf of bread in the house, it’s embarrassing to say, but we didn’t."
Marcus reflected on his childhood and said of his mum’s sacrifices.
"All the little struggles and the sacrifices that you made, it helps you appreciate everything like 10 times more, so I don’t see it as a weakness," he said.
"I think in sport you have to have something behind you that is pushing you. When you come from a place of struggle and pain a lot of the time it switches and it becomes your drive and motivation."
In an emotional moment, Mel, Marcus and Sally travel to FareShare, the food charity that Marcus first partnered with in March, to see how they will be responding to soaring demand this Christmas.
Unknown to Mel, it was revealed that a new unit at FareShare will be named Melanie Maynard House, thanks to Marcus’s support.
Watch BBC Breakfast from 6am tomorrow morning on BBC One for the full interview.
Marcus Rashford: Feeding Britain’s Children is on BBC One on Monday, December 21 from 7pm.
