Francesco Totti reveals his long-haul battle with depression

Legendary player Francesco Totti of AS Roma has talked candidly about his battle with depression following his discovery that his ex-wife was having an affair. Totti had a successful 25-year career at Roma until hanging up his boots in 2017.

But even with his stellar career, the Italian did not have a very active social life after retiring, and he split up with his long-term partner Ilary Blasi. Totti and Illary were living together for almost two decades before they got married in Rome in 2005. But the couple made the decision to end things, and rumours in Italy indicate that they split up sometime in July 2022.

Following his discovery that his partner was having an extramarital affair, Totti has now spoken up about his battle with depression. The renowned midfielder claimed that he initially learnt about accusations of infidelity concerning his wife from others who were close to him.

Totti found it hard to believe them, but he made the decision to look into it himself. The former midfield player revealed that he looked at Illary's phone and verified the rumours were accurate. Totti spoke in a conversation with Corriere della Sera (as per Marca), he said, “I looked at her mobile phone. And I saw that there was a third person, who was acting as an intermediary between Ilary and another one."

“I lost my father to COVID” : Francesco Totti

Totti claims that the realisation sent him into a state of depression, which he has been battling ever since. He added, “Here was the evidence. The facts. And that led to depression. I couldn’t sleep anymore. I pretended nothing was wrong, but I was no longer me, I was someone else. I got out of it thanks to Naomi."

Totti also added other things that affected him and led to depression. He said, "I lost my father to COVID and my wife wasn't there. I checked her phone to confirm, something I'd never done and found messages. I couldn't sleep anymore. I pretended nothing was wrong, but I was no longer me."