Ian Wright has explained that appearing on Match of the Day is his “Graceland” after his abusive step-father wouldn’t let him watch the football highlights show.
Arsenal legend Wright, who is set to enter the I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! jungle on Sunday night, opened up on how the famous jaunty theme music would leave him with a pain in his chest.
Wright’s father absconded and left mother Nesta to raise her family in a one-bedroom house in Brockley, South London.
His step-dad was cruel to Wright, with the ex-England striker sharing an emotional story about how he was only allowed to listen, but not watch, Match of the Day on Saturday nights.
“He was a weed-smoking, gambling, coming-home-late, gambling-his-wages, womanising kind of guy,” Wright told the Players’ Tribune.
“He was rough with my mum and rough with all of us kids. And I don’t know why, but he didn’t like me in particular.
“One of the few things my brother and I looked forward to in the house was Match of the Day, and my stepdad used to take that away from us – just because he could.
(Image: Daily Mirror)
“Depending on what mood he was in, he’d come into the bedroom just before it started and he’d say, ‘Turn around. Turn around to the wall.’
“We had to face the wall the whole time Match of the Day was on. And the really cruel thing was that we could still hear everything. It was awful. I would cry myself to sleep whenever he did it.
“I carried that with me for years. Whenever I heard the Match of the Day theme music come on, I would feel that pain in my chest. And I’ll be honest with you, it still gets to me every now and again.”
Wright would go on to become a regular on the BBC program, following his successful playing career, but it is his first appearance, under the stewardship of Des Lynam that left him almost in tears.
He added: “The first time I went on the show as a presenter, Des Lynam walked up to me and said, ‘Ian Wright, welcome to Match of the Day’.
“I nearly broke down crying. I told Des, ‘This is my Graceland.'”
