Title: How Toone is navigating grief through football

This summer, Ella Toone’s wedding ceremony will feature an empty seat. The England and Manchester United midfielder is set to walk down the aisle without her father, Nick—a figure she credits as the "main reason" for her career success and to whom she dedicates every goal. In the new BBC documentary 24 Hours with Ella Toone, the 26-year-old discusses how she is processing her loss as a professional athlete, honoring her father’s legacy, and continuing her work as a "pioneer for women's football" to inspire future generations.

Toone recalls that immediately following every match, she received a call from Nick. While both her parents, Nick and Karen, attended her games in person, Nick would also record the broadcasts to review them at home before calling his daughter for a comprehensive "debrief on the whole game." "He was just obsessed," Toone says. "He loved women's football more than he loved watching the men's game. He knew all the players, he was passionate about where I was in my career, the team that I had, the way we were playing." She notes that he would discuss women's soccer and her performances in any pub they entered.

Described by Toone as the "driving force" behind her football journey, Nick traveled extensively across the country for club matches and abroad for England fixtures. "Me and dad were all about football, that was our thing that we had together," she shares, adding that he was among the first to truly recognize her potential.

The timing of Nick’s illness remained hidden from Toone for some time. The day after she scored in England’s 2-1 victory over Germany in the 2022 European Championship final, Nick had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, though he had only informed his wife and brother. "He didn't want anyone worrying about him," she explains. "He wasn't well throughout the tournament. I'm finding out more and more about it now that he's not here."

Toone did not learn of his illness until the day after Manchester United’s FA Cup final win at Wembley in May 2024. "I feel like every time I won something, something bad came after," she reflects. Nick passed away in September 2024, just three days before his 60th birthday, five days after Toone turned 25.

The following day, Toone returned to training. "I went straight back into football because I knew that's what he would have wanted," she says. She started her first match at Old Trafford, describing the experience as difficult but necessary. "I felt like that's what I needed to do in that moment. I needed to play, I couldn't just be sat around moping about, thinking about it all the time. I knew he would have been there and been watching."

However, Toone admits she was not fully processing her grief during this period. It was only when a calf injury in November forced her to take time off that she began to confront her emotions. "I think it was my body telling me to stop before I would have had a mental breakdown," she recalls. During her two-month hiatus, which included a holiday in Dubai and sessions with a counselor, she stepped away from the pitch.

Toone returned for Manchester United’s 7-0 FA Cup victory over West Brom in January. She scored a spectacular long-range goal, which she modestly called "decent" but which was later voted her team’s goal of the season. Pointing to the sky, she marked her first goal since Nick’s passing. "Obviously every goal I score now, I dedicate to dad but that just felt like a relief," Toone says. "The first few months of playing, I was putting on so much pressure on myself. I wanted to score for him. I wasn't letting myself relax and enjoy the game, I was trying to be the person that my family could rely on, on the pitch."

She notes that her break also benefited her wider circle, as matchdays had traditionally been "their time with dad." Toone credits her fiancé, Joe Bunney, as a "rock" for her family during this period. Bunney, who was close to Nick—whom he described as his "bestie"—helped manage his own grief while supporting Toone. The pair were so connected that Bunney took on Nick’s dream of creating a girls' football a

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-05-29 17:04:22 UTC