England star Chloe Kelly has admitted she refuses to listen back to the podcast in which she revealed her struggles with anxiety and alopecia earlier this year. The Manchester City forward's health problems and alopecia were first made public on Fearne Cotton’s podcast, released on Monday, which left Kelly's mum and husband in tears.

The 27-year-old is one of six athletes nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year on Thursday night. Kelly scored the winning penalty for the Lionesses at this summer's European Championships as Sarina Wiegman's side became the first senior England team to retain a major trophy.

Kelly be up against Lioness team-mate Hannah Hampton, F1 world champion Lando Norris, Masters winner Rory McIlroy, rugby union player Ellie Kildunne and darts world champ Luke Littler in a ceremony in Salford. Following a difficult departure from City, Kelly returned to her Arsenal on loan in January and won the Champions League trophy in May.

However, triumph was preceded by turmoil. The striker started the year unwell, distressed and experiencing hair loss, collapsing on her bathroom floor in a "vicious cycle" - details which have emerged in Cotton's latest podcast.

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Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, she said: “I haven’t listened to the podcast because it feels like you’re reliving everything again. But my mum and Scott shared a tear because actually, it’s reliving it for them too.

"I’m grateful for both of them. They got me through a tough time. I think it was about more than just football.

“My mum didn’t care about football at the time. She just said, ‘I just want my little girl to be happy’.

“There were times when she stayed up in Liverpool for a few more days because she was worried about me. I didn’t realise at the time how much strain that puts on other people as well.

“Ultimately, I’m grateful for the people by my side to get me through those dark times. When you see them in the stadiums, when you’re wearing silverware, that means the most to me.”

Kelly has opened up on how her physical health deteriorated when she returned to London. The forward forced through a loan move to Arsenal after posting a statement on social media in which she said her mental and emotional well-being was suffering because of someone’s “negative behaviour” towards her, though she did not name that person.

“I started to notice bald patches on the side of my head," she said. "And I’m thinking, not only have I had the psychological toll on my body, but now I’m seeing the physical changes on my body that’s happening.

“And I remember the North London derby and I FaceTimed Scott and I said, ‘I can’t cover my ball patches’. I had one on either side of my head.

“It was tough trying to be prepared for a game, but also trying to hide something that now is a part of me. So then I decided I was going to change my hairstyle, you probably noticed I didn’t have the pre-wrap (headband) for a while, until I felt confident enough to.”

Kelly spoke to doctors at England and Arsenal and visited a hair specialist with mum Jane to have head injections during one of the international breaks. She added: “I knew that I needed to do that to feel better and to feel myself not on the pitch but away from the pitch as well.”