Rio Ferdinand 'clung on' to exercise to cope with grief after wife's death

Rio Ferdinand says exercise saved his life after the death of his wife Rebecca from cancer.

The retired footballer’s 34-year-old spouse lost her battle with breast cancer in 2015 and Rio previously admitted he had suicidal thoughts after Rebecca passed away.

He also admitted to drinking heavily in the first five or six weeks after her death, but has now revealed gruelling gym sessions brought him back from the edge and he “clung on” to exercise to help him recover from his grief.

He said: “The gym enabled me to free my mind.

“You’ve got to remember, when I played football, when I’d step onto the pitch, there was nothing I thought about but football. It was a clear space, a little release time.

“Without the gym, I don’t know where I would’ve had that release time – that time just to think about nothing, or to think about something other than what was going on in my life.

“The gym really played a part in that, and that’s why I’ve clung onto it.”

The former Manchester United star said it played a major part in restoring his mental health and he is “happier” in the gym than he is in many places.

He added to Men’s Health magazine: “For me it’s a place where your mind gets to take a break for a bit.

“I’m simply happier when I’m in the gym and working out, and I think everything else flows better when I’m doing that. It invigorates me and calms me at the same time.

The 38-year-old star is so passionate about the benefits of exercise that he’s even considered a career in helping others with fitness and nutrition.

He said: “I’d like to help others get to the place where I am. Where I think: ‘This is great, this is my lifestyle now.’

“It isn’t a chore. It isn’t about watching a gram of protein here or a gram of fat there.
“And you don’t have to have a ready-made gym in your house. I want it to be something that’s really smooth and fits into your lifestyle.”

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