OHMYGOSSIP — Ian Wright has suffered from doubt throughout his life.
The former footballer has teamed up with Cadbury on its ‘Give A Doubt’ campaign – in partnership with The Prince’s Trust – as research has revealed that nearly three-quarters of people experience doubts on a daily basis.
Asked what inspired him to get involved, Ian said: “I connected with the campaign message straight away. It’s also how so many people, specifically young people are feeling. We don’t talk about this a lot but when do it’s often that feeling nervous or doubtful is a weakness and it’s not, it’s normal.”
Wright admits that he has been plagued by uncertainty by his failure to finish school and says it was at its worst when he retired from playing.
The former Arsenal and England striker said: “This specific doubt and anxiety started when I retired and I was navigating my way through my post-playing career plans which were largely all about TV and light entertainment. I wasn’t TV trained, I didn’t come through private school, I was an ex-footballer that didn’t finish school and all of a sudden, there I was hosting a prime time game show and broadcasting on ‘Match of the Day’. I doubted whether I could be myself or if I needed to be a version of myself that people would accept.”
Wright hopes to inspire others to be open about their doubts with his participation in the campaign.
Asked why it is so important to young people, he said: “Because this campaign really is about helping people. It’s about accepting who we are as people, and celebrating our doubts instead of rejecting them as weaknesses.”