It was a moment of grief and shock combined as Arsenal’s legend Ian Wright was forced to leave his ITV coverage after he was informed about his mother’s sudden demise, just 30 seconds before he went on air.
The famous 58-year-old striker of England was in the middle of covering the Rochdale and Plymouth Argyle’s second-round clash that took place on Saturday. But little did he know that he would be informed of his mother’s death during the noon hours.
The renowned television host and pundit was informed that Nesta who is the woman that brought him up as a child in South London was no more, passing away at the age of 94.
Previously, the star striker had shed light upon how difficult of a childhood he had in terms of difficult parents, speaking about his abusive stepfather in particular. But he also revealed during the emotional documentary with BBC, called Home Truths, how he still managed to make peace with his mother, despite the odd circumstances that he was surrounded with.
One friend spoke about how Ian would be the first person to admit that he had a very hard relationship with his mother but listening about how your own loved one has passed away is never an easy task.
“As you can expect, the news would be upsetting for anyone to hear,” his friend explained.
“He was told the devastating news just as he went back during the show’s half time and he left because he said he needed to be with his family right now,” the friend stated in the end. And that’s when the football striker just got up and left with a heavy heart.
In the match, Plymouth managed to score a victory against Rochdale, allowing them to advance to the FA Cup’s third round.