Viewers were left 'heartbroken' and 'in tears' as ex-footballer Ian Wright detailed the childhood abuse he suffered in a new BBC documentary.
The gut wrenching programme, Ian Wright: Home Truths, saw the Match of the Day pundit look back on the painful affect childhood domestic violence has had on him and his life. As well as detailing his own harrowing experiences, the Arsenal legend visited other victims to investigate the effect growing up in a psychologically abusive and violent home has on children in the UK.
The documentary, which aired on BBC 1 on Thursday, May 6, at 9pm, had viewers praising the footballer for his openness in revealing the abuse he suffered at the hands of family members. In one part of the BBC documentary Ian tells viewers that his stepdad would force the football-loving kid to sit facing the wall while Match of the Day was on, just because he could.
Ian, who in the documentary speaks to social workers, teachers and visits charity-led initiatives tackling domestic abuse, said on the show: "When that theme plays it takes me back to that time. He would make me turn away from the TV and face the wall - just because he could. It was torture. It was just so unnecessary and cruel. If you turned round to look he would shout you down."
But forcing Ian - who lived in a room at a London terrace with his mum, step-dad and brother, Maurice, plus another family who shared the house - to face the wall was just the tip of the iceberg. And while the abuse at the hands of his stepfather was difficult for Ian, the scenes in which he detailed how his mother treated him as a child are perhaps the most emotional.
Ian details how in reaction to his mother being abused by his stepfather, she would then turn on Ian. In the emotional scenes he opens up about his family life in the 1970s.
"All I felt when I was nine was anxious and scared. You know you are going to see or hear something horrible," he says in the hour-long programme.
"My stepdad did some terrible things to me and my mum, but what made it worse is my mum took it out on me. She regularly beat me, but it was the things she said that really hurt. She'd said 'Ian I wish I terminated you.' When you hear something like that said, your mum didn't want you, it does things to you when you are older."
Ian, who now has eight children himself, said he decided to make the documentary after struggling to deal with the trauma of his past for more than 50 years.
"I'm nervous about doing this, but it's something that needs to be done. I've only recently started talking about this. When you've had a childhood like I have, how does that affect you when you get older, the memories [are] still with you. I tried to explain, I have a nice family now, everything is perfect now, but sometimes I feel sad. I don't know why I continue to get dragged back to very negative things. I remember my step-dad hitting my mum, I was so scared of what he'd do. We lived in constant fear."
Viewers of the documentary praised the footballer on social media for opening up about his trauma, calling him "amazing" and a "role model."
One viewer said: "Watching @IanWright0 Home Truths, only 15 mins in and it’s bought me to tears as a mum of one and nanny to a beautiful little boy and a granddaughter due this summer. I couldn’t bear thinking about children being treated that way. #heartbreaking #DomesticAbuse #hometruths "
Another viewer, Mickey Day said: "Massive respect to @IanWright0 on going back to his past & doing this documentary. Absolutely massive respect for telling his story. #hometruths "
Karen Wadelin said: " @IanWright0 so brave to do this, my heart is breaking, so moving and what an amazing role model youve become #hometruths "
Another viewer pointed out that while Ian was not allowed to watch Match of The Day as a child he had come out the other side to become a pundit.
Joanne Doherty said: "Watching #HomeTruths. Finding out the hardships that @IanWright0 had to go through at such a young age. Ian you have come so far, you may not have been allowed to watch the programme but karma has come full circle now cos you are an expert pundit on it. #IanWrightHomeTruths "
The documentary also sees the Radio 5Live presenter visit other adults affected by childhood domestic violence and talks to former abusers and families who have used organisations like the Hampton Trust to turn around their behaviour and attitudes.
- You can find out more about the Hampton Trust, which helps to rebuild lives by addressing the root cause of domestic abuse and criminality, here
- In Wales, The Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Act was implemented in 2015 and placed a duty on the public sector to provide a coordinated response to prevention, protection and support for those affected. The latest on what councils are planning with regard to prevention can be read here.
