Burnley striker Jonathan Walters has spoken for the first time about the emotional torment of losing his mother to cancer when aged only 11.
The Republic of Ireland international - who committed to the country instead of England following the death of his Dublin-born mum Helen Brady - admits he never grieved properly at the time.
Walters, 33, said his dad sent him back to school the day after she died in an attempt to continue life 'as if everything was all right.'
Speaking to The Times, he said: 'We didn't know [how ill she was] until a couple of weeks before she died.