Marcus Trescothick, a cricketer with Somerset, has written an autobiography, Coming Back to Me. Trescothick pulled out of the 2006-7 Ashes tour due to what kept being called a "stress-related illness." It turns out that he has been having anxiety attacks since the age of 10.We hear far more about psychologists whispering in the ears of cyclists at Olympic velodromes just before their ride. It's very rare for a professional sports player to speak out on mental illness:
"I struggled mostly with the nerves and the worrying that goes with it. It doesn't matter what you do, anybody can pick it up whether you earn £1m a year or £20 a week. It strikes when it wants to and there's not much you can do until you take pills or seek help and get back on the road to recovery."
"People try and hide it all the time. I hid it for weeks, months and a couple of years before saying I don't want to run from this any more."
"Anxiety problems are seen as a weakness. People tell you to pull yourself together. But it is an illness, it's not something you make up."
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