Lionesses star Chloe Kelly has revealed she was diagnosed with alopecia last year, a condition triggered by severe anxiety that left her fearing a heart attack.
The 27-year-old forward, who became a household name during last summer’s European Championships, has previously spoken openly about her mental health struggles, particularly during the final stages of her Manchester City career.
Kelly left Manchester City in January, returning to Arsenal, citing the “negative behaviour” of some individuals at City as having a “huge impact” on her mental wellbeing. Nearly a year later, she described how her anxiety had escalated to the point that leaving home became unbearable.
Speaking on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, Kelly recalled: “I loved sitting in the dark and I was like, ‘This isn’t okay.’ Just being by myself, quiet, and sitting in the dark. It got to the point with my anxiety that I couldn’t get off the bathroom floor because I was just being sick. I tried taking the dogs for a walk, colouring in—it wasn’t an eating disorder. It was a vicious cycle.”
She described moments of extreme distress, including times when her husband, Callum Moore, had to help her off the bathroom floor to prevent her from being sick.
Amid these struggles, Kelly noticed her hair beginning to fall out. A visit to a doctor confirmed she had alopecia. “I started losing my hair. I was like, ‘No, this isn’t acceptable,’” she said. “I remember noticing bald patches and thinking I had alopecia. Seeing the physical effects of anxiety on my body—not just mental—was a tough time.”
Kelly admitted she covered her bald patches during her first games back with Arsenal. Over the following months, however, her hair began to regrow, and she described the experience as “incredible.”
Her move back to Arsenal, where she began her career through the youth ranks, marked a significant turning point in her mental health. “January was a real turning point for me, coming back to London and to a club I love,” she said. “I was in a really dark place for a while. I struggled a lot, riddled with anxiety, and didn’t want to go out, even just to the shops. Being able to speak up and find happiness was about taking a step away from the game.”
Kelly’s remarkable journey on and off the pitch has also earned her a place on the six-person shortlist for this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, alongside Rory McIlroy, Lando Norris, Hannah Hampton, Luke Littler, and England Rugby star Ellie Kildunne. The award will be presented on Thursday, December 18, with McIlroy heading into the ceremony as the bookmakers’ favourite.
