• UK
  • World
    • USA
  • Entertainment
    • Celeb
    • Showbiz
    • Magazine
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Gaming
  • Tech
  • Science
    • Education
  • Insurance
  • Business
  • Auto
  • ToS/Contact
    • ToS
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
NewsExplored
  • UK
  • World
    • USA
  • Entertainment
    • Celeb
    • Showbiz
    • Magazine
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Gaming
  • Tech
  • Science
    • Education
  • Insurance
  • Business
  • Auto
  • ToS/Contact
    • ToS
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • LinkedIn

  • Tumblr

  • RSS

Sports

Kirstie Levell: Leicester City goalkeeper on family heartache & why number 28 is sentimental

Kirstie Levell: Leicester City goalkeeper on family heartache & why number 28 is sentimental
Newsexplored
28th October 2020
7
SHARES
ShareTweet
SubscribeRedditGoogleWhatsappStumbleuponPinterestDiggLinkedinTumblrTelegram
Views:
2
Kirstie Levell wearing the number 28
Kirstie Levell joined Leicester from Everton this summer and wears the number 28 shirt in memory of her brother

After Leicester City goalkeeper Kirstie Levell’s older brother died five years ago, there was only one number she wanted on her shirt.

Levell, who wears the “special” number 28, joined Leicester in the summer and wanted something to “remind her of Dan every single time she put it on”.

Dan, 24, had a sudden heart attack at the family home on 28 September, 2015 – a year after being diagnosed with bowel cancer. He was born with epilepsy which left him unable to speak and their father, Shaun, quit his job to become a full-time carer.

“The 28th is my mum’s birthday and I found that really mad,” Levell says. “Dan had this terminal illness for such a long time and it was like he waited for her birthday to come round before saying, ‘right, that’s it now’.

Last month, the Levells marked five years since Dan’s passing, letting off a red heart balloon – something they do every year on his birthday in June and on 28 September.

“One time I let it go and it got stuck in a tree and my dad wasn’t very happy,” says Levell. “We say that goes to heaven. We believe in all that and hopefully it reaches him.”

‘I was playing for Dan’

Kirstie with her brother when they were kids
Kirstie with her older brother Dan when they were children at the local park

Despite being the younger sister, Levell was “the protective one” when they were growing up.

“He couldn’t speak so I was the one who had his back,” she says. “I always played sport and I went to karate so I thought I was the be-all and end-all. When somebody looked at him in a funny way, I would get my back up.”

As a family, the Levells loved taking Dan to theme parks where he would go on rollercoasters and meet Disney characters in Paris.

“Despite his disability we always treated him like one of us. I was that annoying sister that would always do jokey things like tipping his wheelchair. I’d mess about all the time,” says Levell.

“It was really strange because he understood pretty much everything – he just couldn’t reply. If he needed a drink, he would wave his bottle around to hint.

data-ad-format="auto">

“One of the funniest things was when I had friends over after school and he hummed really loudly. He wouldn’t be in the room and they would ask what the noise was and I would have to tell them it was my brother!”

Levell says it was “those small things which meant a lot” and she used to cut up his tablets and feed him breakfast every day.

Father Shaun cared for Dan full time but he would always fly out to support Levell when she played in the England youth teams.

“Dan was my dad’s best mate as he had someone to travel with,” says Levell. “The most difficult thing was when Dan fell ill, there was always a decision over whether my dad should come and support me or stay and look after my brother. We worked around it.


“At the early stages in my life, I kind of took football for granted. I used to go to England camps and was the joker. I went for the fun. But as soon as Dan became ill, it was like something switched.

“I thought ‘you know what, I need to knuckle down here and sort it out’. I was lucky to be the one playing. I was playing for Dan. I was very lucky to be in that position and have my dad there supporting me.”

Kirstie with her brother and sister at Disneyland
Kirstie (centre) with her brother and sister at Disneyland when they were younger

‘I couldn’t lose them both’

Levell was studying at university and playing for Everton when Dan was diagnosed with bowel cancer but she “just carried on as normal because they said it would be fine”.

But chemotherapy failed and Dan’s illness became terminal.

“I just thought, ‘no, this can’t be happening.’ I still carried on with my football though. Even the day after he died, I went to training at Everton. He passed away in the house so I felt the worst place to be in was the house,” says Levell.

“I wanted to do everything to get out when I could. Everton were so supportive. They said I could have time off if I needed it but I wanted to go in. Football wasn’t only my job but it was a place to go and switch off from major things that had happened.”

Andy Spence, Everton manager at the time, was “really supportive” and if you were down “he would lift you up”, says Levell.

“I could drop him a text if I didn’t feel like going to football one day. When I signed for Leicester, he sent me a message which was really nice. I think he will always keep in touch.”

But Levell was dealt another blow in 2019 when her dad was diagnosed with mouth cancer.

“That was an even bigger challenge for me. I just thought, ‘not again. I can’t lose another one.’ My brother and my dad were the two who always came with me to football so I couldn’t lose them both,” she says .

“It was a hard one to take. I took him to his hospital appointments and the day he went in for his operation, I was there to pick him up. He wanted to get on with it and didn’t want a fuss.”

Thankfully, Shaun has recovered and is well but Levell is determined to make her family proud when she wears the number 28 on the football pitch.

“I try not to be too emotional with my football and have too much in the back of my head but I do always think about them,” she says.

And now, whenever somebody is going through a tough time, Levell’s advice to them is to “just do what makes you happy”.

Kirstie with her brother and sister at Christmas when they were children
Kirstie (centre) with her brother and sister at Christmas. She was always the “protective” one

Around the BBC iPlayer bannerAround the BBC iPlayer footer

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Skype (Opens in new window)

Related

Related Itemsfamilygoalkeeperheartachekirstieleicesterlevellnumber
Sports
28th October 2020
Newsexplored @newsexploredweb

Related Itemsfamilygoalkeeperheartachekirstieleicesterlevellnumber

More in Sports

  • Read More
    Carabao Cup final: Man City & Tottenham to have 2,000 fans each at Wembley final

    Views:2 A crowd of 82,145 watched Manchester City beat Aston Villa 2-1 to win last season’s Carabao...

    Newsexplored 28th October 2020
  • Read More
    Tyson Fury says Anthony Joshua bout will ‘100% happen’ as deal moves close

    Views:2 Anthony Joshua holds three of the four major world heavyweight titles, while Tyson Fury has the...

    Newsexplored 28th October 2020
  • Read More
    British and Irish Lions 2021: Townsend, Tandy, McBryde and Jenkins named as coaches

    Views:2 Gregor Townsend (centre) is embarking on his first Lions tour as a coach, while it will...

    Newsexplored 28th October 2020
  • Read More
    England to play India Test & host New Zealand during summer

    Views:2 England last played India in a Test at Wormsley in 2014, which the tourists won by...

    Newsexplored 28th October 2020
  • Read More
    WSL at 10 years: Who is the greatest player?

    Views:2 On 13 April 2011, the inaugural season of the Women’s Super League got under way with...

    Newsexplored 28th October 2020
  • Read More
    Garth Crooks’ team of the week: Johnstone, Alexander-Arnold, Dallas, Lingard, Pulisic, Saint-Maximin

    Views:2 Manchester City suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat against Leeds and Manchester United are now 11...

    Newsexplored 28th October 2020
  • Read More
    Brighton 0-0 Everton: Seagulls edge towards Premier League survival with goalless draw

    Views:2 Neal Maupay had two of the game’s best chances Brighton edged a point closer to Premier...

    Newsexplored 28th October 2020
  • Read More
    West Brom: VAR unable to find conclusive angle for offside ‘goal’

    Views:2 Replays suggested Mbaye Diagne (left) may have been onside when he scored, with team-mate Kyle Bartley...

    Newsexplored 28th October 2020
  • Read More
    West Brom 3-0 Southampton: Baggies beat Saints for second straight win

    Views:2 Matt Phillips doubled West Brom’s lead with just his second goal of the season West Brom...

    Newsexplored 28th October 2020
  • Read More
    McGregor v Poirier 3: Conor McGregor tells Dustin Poirier trilogy fight is ‘off’

    Views:2 Poirier secured a TKO win over McGregor in the second round of their January rematch Conor...

    Newsexplored 28th October 2020
  • Read More
    Tour of Turkey: Mark Cavendish wins stage two to end winless streak

    Views:2 Mark Cavendish timed his finish perfectly to take his first win since February 2018 Mark Cavendish...

    Newsexplored 28th October 2020
  • Read More
    England v Canada: Lucy Bronze doubtful for friendly

    Views:2 Bronze won best women’s player at Fifa’s 2020 awards Date: Tuesday 13 April Kick-off: 19:15 BST...

    Newsexplored 28th October 2020
Scroll for more
Tap
data-ad-format="auto">
NewsExplored

NewsExplored - Making sure all the latest news is explored?

Contact us for help

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • Comments

  • The UK professor and the fake Russian agent
    UK26th March 2021
  • Atlanta spa shootings: How we talk about violence
    USA19th March 2021
  • Deshaun Watson: Houston Texans quarterback being investigated by police amid 21 civil lawsuits
    USA3rd April 2021
  • Arsenal 0-3 Liverpool: Diogo Jota scores twice in Premier League win
    Sports3rd April 2021
  • Tiger Woods car crash: Golfing great drove at almost double the speed limit
    USA7th April 2021
  • Georgia voting: Fact-checking claims about the new election law
    USA7th April 2021
  • Deshaun Watson: Houston Texans quarterback being investigated by police amid 21 civil lawsuits
    USA3rd April 2021
  • Derek Chauvin trial: Why role of TV cameras could come into focus
    USA28th March 2021
  • Les Rehrer says:

    Hello Its me :P and thanks for this post

  • optumrx login says:

    Thank For News.

  • Kent Laatsch says:

    Please let me know if you're looking for a writer…

  • Bob says:

    RT News was where I learned that Erdogan controlled isis.…

Copyright © 2018 Top News Theme. Theme by MVP Themes, powered by Wordpress.

Manchester City: How front three set tone for dominant Champions League display in Marseille
Super League: Huddersfield v Castleford cancelled because of 12 positive Covid-19 tests for Tigers
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok