Fans praise ‘very brave’ Danny Murphy for speaking ‘so honestly’ about his cocaine addiction, after the former Liverpool star revealed his post-retirement struggles

Fans have praised former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy for speaking openly about his cocaine addiction after retiring from football.

During a recent episode of the Ben Heath podcast, Murphy, 47, admitted he was struggling to come to terms with his retirement after hanging up his boots in 2013, and as he faced financial problems and Following the breakdown of his marriage to actress Joanna Taylor, he turned to cocaine.

“I did cocaine and smoked weed,” he said. “I could live without the drink. I was not an alcoholic. I could sit in a house with alcohol and not drink it.

“For a while I was (addicted to cocaine), yeah. I got to the point where I thought I couldn’t do things without it. Which was absurd, of course I could.

“You get it right at first, you do it once a week, twice a week, do it another third day and eventually it builds up and takes hold of you.”

Murphy won the League Cup twice, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup with Liverpool, but struggled to come to terms with his retirement.

Murphy, who won two League Cups, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup with Liverpool, appeared on talkSPORT on Wednesday morning to talk more about drug addiction and revealed his honest opinion on the subject before having his own problems.

“Before I had problems with myself, I judged people,” he admitted. “I thought if you’ve done drugs or you’re depressed then you’re weak, there’s something wrong with you. You have no resilience. Pulled yourself together.

Murphy’s views have since changed and he has previously written about his addiction in his Mail on Sunday column.

Asked by talkSPORT host Jim White – who has also been honest about his own battles with alcohol addiction in the past – why he decided to speak out, Murphy explained his reasoning.

“I always felt like it was weighing on me a little bit,” he added.

“It took me a few years to get to a comfortable place, to be able to share and not worry about the repercussions. The children were older, they knew it, I had spoken to them. That was probably the most important thing.

Murphy appeared on talkSPORT on Wednesday morning and revealed why he decided to speak so openly about his cocaine addiction.

Murphy also explained how some people threatened to go public with his secret before revealing it himself.

“That’s not why I did it (made it public), but there have been people in my past who have used that threat,” Murphy said.

“Not that that ever happened. For me, the delay in talking about it during the three or four years that I did it was the children. But they’re cool and I talked to them about it last night.

Murphy speaking candidly about his battles with cocaine addiction drew praise from fans on social media.

Liverpool fans group Empire of the Kop posted on X: “Very brave of Danny Murphy to open up about his cocaine addiction.”

Another X user wrote: “Good on you guys @talkSPORT and Danny Murphy for speaking so candidly about this this morning.

“SO MANY people in society are affected by these addictions and yet we treat them like a taboo. This shouldn’t be a taboo: many people are users. Well done for speaking so honestly. Good luck DM.’

Similar sentiments were shared by another fan who urged others struggling to follow in Murphy’s footsteps and seek help after the ex-Premier League star underwent therapy to cope his dependence.

“I think it’s good that people like Danny Murphy and @JimWhite are talking about their own issues like addiction because it shows that we are all human and someone going through this can hear it and see that This can happen to anyone and help. They are asking for help. Well done,” they said.

One supporter also said there should be no shame in drug addiction, praising Murphy for speaking out.

“Cocaine is a huge problem across all sectors and industries, professional and social,” they added.

“It’s great to see people showing courage by speaking out about their fight against this virus so others know they are not alone in this fight.”

“Drug addiction is nothing to be ashamed of. Speak out. Ask for help.’