Rio Ferdinand has revealed that he’s been forced to use a wheelchair due to intense back pain.
The former footballer, who recently moved to Dubai with wife Kate, revealed that he’s had a bad back “for a long time”. He said that it’s stemmed from his injuries that he sustained during his playing career.
Rio Ferdinand forced to use wheelchair
Speaking to Men’s Health, Rio, 47, said: “I’ve had a bad back for a long time. I’ve got injuries that I had from my career… I was on tablets and injections for six years to play games. That’s affected me.
“I get some bad moments of back pain where I have to be in a hospital for a couple of days or in a wheelchair for a couple of days. It’s mad, but it just comes out of nowhere.
“Since I’ve been in Dubai, I’ve been seeing a physio for the first time since I retired. He’s been doing loads of manipulations and whatnot, and within his building there’s also my personal trainer, so he feeds him information about my training. There’s a holistic approach to what I’m doing now and hopefully that’s going to put me in good stead. Rather than fixing when it’s broken, you actually prevent [injuries].”
Wife Kate has also revealed that she’s been struggling since living in the UAE.
‘I’m just struggling’
Speaking on her Blended podcast last week, she said of the move: “I feel like we’ve opened our eyes to a different world. But I love London, I love the UK. I love so many things about the UK. I do feel happy in Dubai, but I’m just missing a part of me.”
Kate then added: “Rio loves it so much. I am enjoying it, but I miss home quite a lot. I get upset. I miss the big boys a lot and I’m just struggling with that.”
Rio has three kids from his first marriage to late wife Rebecca – sons Lorenz and Tate and daughter Tia. With Kate, he shares son Cree and daughter Shae. When they moved to Dubai, Lorenz and Tate stayed in the UK. They’re both focusing on footballing careers, following in their dad’s footsteps.
Read more: Rio Ferdinand addresses near-split with Kate: ‘The kids ain’t happy – it’s too much stress’
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