Man Utd legend Andy Cole breaks silence on kidney failure that left him with hugely swollen face

Footie legend hid away amid taunts of 'who ate all the pies?' 

Ailing star... Andy Cole in his footballing past (left) and over the weekend (right)

 AILING football legend Andy Cole has spoken out about the kidney condition that has left him with a badly swollen face. The former Manchester United striker, 44, said that he locked himself up for six months after the illness caused him to pile on the pounds.

Questions... Andy heads to a party in November before details of his condition were known

Glory days... Andy Cole on the pitch for United in 1999

Andy, who played 275 games for the Red Devils, endured taunts of “who ate all the pies?” as a serious kidney illness played havoc with his body. The star said he lost the will to look at himself in the mirror, and hid away for months without telling anyone about his condition.

Speaking to BBC Sport over the weekend, he said: “I wouldn’t tell a soul.“You’re getting all these comments ‘Andy Cole, he’s put on all this weight’, ‘who ate all the pies?’ and all that kind of stuff.”
The former England player said the weight gain started after he got sick on a trip to Vietnam.

He avoided visiting the doctor for weeks but had to be taken to hospital after the condition caught up with him. Andy spent a month being treated in hospital, and doctors diagnosed the star with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

The condition causes scarring of the kidneys, and slashed the function of one of Andy’s down to 20 per cent. Patients suffer rapid weight gain, swelling and high blood pressure because the body retains large amounts of water.


The kidney scarring cannot be undone, but treatment can help patients cope more easily. He said: “The weight you’ve put on through the water retention, that wreaks havoc with your head because you’re saying to yourself ‘I don’t want to look in the mirror any more’ because you’re not the same.

“You don’t feel the same, you don’t feel as confident about yourself as you used to, but then it’s out of your hands.” Andy decided to speak out about his condition after having to pull out of a charity football match because of the illness.

Former Old Trafford stablemate David Beckham invited him to the game in November, but he was in no state to play. He was seen at a star-studded bash not long after the game, before details of his condition had become clear.

Andy said that his focus now is improving his condition enough to take to the pitch again. His premier league career saw him net 121 goals for United from 1994 to 2002. He also earned 15 England caps and played for 11 other clubs. He retired in 2009.