Footballer Dele Alli broke down in tears after revealing he was sexually abused as a child.
The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder said he was molested by one of his mother's friends when he was just six-years-old.
Alli, who has been capped 37 times for England, told Gary Neville on The Overlap: “When I was six I was molested by mum’s friend... because my mum was an alcoholic. That happened at six.”
The 27-year-old added: “And then I was sent to Africa to learn discipline and then I was sent back.
Dele Alli signed returned to Everton after a loan spell in Turkey
PA
“At seven I started smoking and then at eight I started selling drugs.
"An older person told me they wouldn’t stop a kid on a bike so I'd ride around with my football and underneath I'd have drugs."
Alli was later adopted by an "amazing family" at the age of 12 and broke into the MK Dons first team just four years later.
The midfielder returned to Goodison Park in April following a loan-spell at Besiktas in Turkey.
Dele Alli received 37 caps for England's Three Lions
PA
Alli received criticism as his star status at Spurs started to fade.
The Toffees midfielder was voted as the PFA Young Player of the Year in both 2016 and 2017 while playing at White Hart Lane.
However, Alli fell out of favour with ex-Spurs boss Jose Mourinho, making just 15 league appearances under the Portuguese gaffer.
During his tell-all interview, Alli also revealed he attended rehab and considered hanging up his boots at just 24-years-old.
Dele Alli in action for Tottenham Hotspur
PA
He explained: “There was one morning where I had to go to training and this was when he’d stopped playing me and I was in a bad place.
"I remember just looking in the mirror - and it sounds dramatic - but I was staring in the mirror and asking if I could retire now.
"At 24, doing the thing I love. For me that was heartbreaking to have even had that thought at 24.
"That hurt me a lot. That was another thing I had to carry.”
