This is the Blood Red podcast from the Liverpool Echo, giving you the inside track on all the big talking points from Anfield.

Hello everybody and welcome to a special edition of the Blood Red podcast brought to you by the Liverpool Echo.

I'm your host Theo Squires and joining me today we have a very special guest.

He joined Liverpool in a six million pound deal in August 2001 and went on to make 45 appearances to the Reds. And that also included playing a pivotal role on the route to Istanbul when Raffa Benitez's side won the Champions League in 2005. It's former Liverpool goalkeeper, Chris Kirkland. How are you doing, Chris? I'm really good, thank you. Yeah, thanks for the opportunity to come in. You've had quite the international break. We were just talking before air, coming on air. You've gone to Wembley to receive your England legacy cap. You've played for the Legends against Chelsea. And as we can see today from what you're wearing, you're doing your usual coaching and your ambassador work for the foundation. So thanks for coming in and making the time to see us. No, thank you again for the invite.

Yeah, it's been a, yeah, I mean, to be fair, most weeks are really busy. I like to keep busy. I like to keep routine. Do quite a few things with, as you mentioned there, with the foundation. I've got my own goalie academy and my daughter. I can do a lot of stuff at Edge Hill as well, and then Basta roll up there at the university the university but yeah any chance you get to put on a Liverpool shirt again was amazing obviously before that on the Thursday getting the Legacy Cat which is something they're doing now and that was an amazing event as well I mean Peter Shilton was down there he got his on the same at the same night as well um to be one of your idols grow up yeah well I yeah, I'd get them well with Peter, but I felt a little bit of a ford me, you getting mine and even getting his. But I think there's about 15 other players down there as well. So it was an amazing event, and yeah, I'd be best mate there with me. And then we stayed down, obviously. I stayed down, and we had the game against Chelsea Foundation on Saturday, which went really well. And the lads did amazing. We had 3,000 fans there, which just goes. I don't think that would happen at any of a club. You know, we see when we play at Anfield for the foundation games and the Legends matches, they sell out. And I think we're probably one of the only clubs that will take 3,000 fans away to a game, but that just shows the power of Liverpool and what's Liverpool means to people. Now, one of the reasons why Chris is here today is because he's written an autobiography, and that comes out on November the 17th. It's called Keeping It Quiet, The Chris Kirkland Story. If you're watching and listening to this before November the 17th, you can pre-order it now. The link will be in our episode description box. If it's November the 17th or later, what are you waiting for? Christmas is around the corner. Go and get Chris's book. It's going to be a great read. Chris, it's what, nearly 10 years now since you're retired? What's inspired you that now is the time to tell your story? Yeah, I've been asked a few times, but Teres Taylor's are doing it for me. So the guys there, they've been great and they rang me and said, look, and listen, my career, yes, and I had a decent career, not as nowhere near as good as other people's careers. But, you know, it's more about the stuff after now, I think, and I think it's the right time to do that because I think that's a story in itself and when they when they rang me and said look we'd love

to do this I never thought about it before but when they explained it properly and why they thought

it would be it would be a good book I wanted to do it and felt the right time to do it and in a good place to do it as well. So Terestale's been brilliant. You know, they're currently out of the house. We've done Zoom calls. We've done everything and it's just about trying to remember things at this age when you get older, which is quite difficult. But my wife's been brilliant. She remembers a lot of stuff and my daughter as well. She's nearly 19 now. So it's hopefully it's good read. Obviously there's all the football stuff in there as well, the football tales, you know, the stuff about Liverpool being a fan as a kid and standing on the cop and my dad to them playing for them and now obviously still the role I do with a club and still living in the area. You know, we've lived up here 24 years now. This is home for us and it always will be.

So we love Merseyside, love Liverpool, and I love the role I do with the foundation. So there's a lot of stuff in there. And obviously then about the addiction and the mental health side of stuff, which forced me to retire in 2016, as you said, nearly 10 years ago. How long have you guys been working on this project?

For the past three or four months I think it is.

Four, yeah. 2016 as you said nearly 10 years ago. How long have you guys been working on this project?

For the past three or four months I think it is.

Yeah, I mean, listen, Terest Tales are brilliant.

The guys in with it, Rob and Simon and the people behind the scenes,

they make it so easy for you.

And obviously there's some sensitive subjects, but they go around it in a brilliant way,

which enables you just to talk normally, which we should all hopefully be able to do.

It's difficult for some people to get things out, but I've found it therapeutic as well.

I've forgotten a lot of things that my wife's remembered, which I'm not sure is a good or a bad thing

because it tells you you getting older and forgetting things. But, yeah, I'm looking forward to it coming out. Obviously, I checked with my wife and daughter before, and they just said, listen, go for it. As you come up, you know, you do a lot of stuff in public now anyway, talking, and, you know, it would be good for them, and it would be something for them to be proud of hopefully as well.

And you're someone who has always been very open

about your struggles of mental health. and, you know, it would be good for them and it would be something for them to be proud of, hopefully, as well.

And you're someone who has always been very open about your struggles with mental health and the addiction with the painkillers since you've retired. So it is an important opportunity to tell that story again to try and help some people as well. It is, it is. And, you know, it took me 10 years to admit the truth. You know, yes, I retired in 2016 through mental health, which it was,

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