LUKE CHADWICK has admitted he “feels guilty” for calling out Nick Hancock over the abuse he received on the BBC show They Think It’s All Over.
The former presenter issued a grovelling apology for his cruel jibes about Chadwick’s looks as a youngster at Manchester United.
Last week, the ex-footballer revealed gags about his appearance on the show killed his confidence.
The show ran from 1996 until 2006, during which Chadwick was trying to break into the United first team.
Hancock was the main host, with former Spurs and England star Gary Lineker and cricket legend David Gower as team captains.
Chadwick’s revelations led to Hancock and team captain Lineker issuing apologies for their behaviour.
The ex-Old Trafford star has fully accepted the apologies and has now admitted he even ended up feeling bad when he saw Hancock’s desperate plea.
He told the Guardian: “It made me feel a little bit guilty,
“It looked so uncomfortable. Obviously people had given him stick and even though whatever happened years ago happened it wasn’t an eye for an eye.
“The apology is completely accepted but it’s not something I was searching for.”
Speaking to BBC Breakfast last week, Hancock admitted his regret at the cruel jibes he directed at Chadwick: “Listening to Luke is incredibly humbling.
“He’s shown so much more generosity and understanding and good judgement than we did at the time.
“I’m appalled for him and at myself.
“The terrible thing about comedians and comedy shows is that if you’re getting laughs, you think you’re doing a good job.
“Of course the worst thing for Luke was that it became a bit of a running joke. To us it was a photograph.
“That’s not good obviously, we should have been thinking about the person, but that’s what can happen.”
Former Spurs and England star Lineker responded on Twitter, saying: “I was part of that show, therefore, I too would like to apologise to @luke_FFF for any hurt caused.”
Chadwick – who is now a coach at Cambridge United – admits to wondering whether he should have complained to the channel or not and how he was left “praying it would stop”.
He told MailOnline: “I would dread every Friday. I wasn’t a hugely confident guy anyway and this just made it worse.
“I used to half-watch it, hoping and praying that they would stop. But they never did. It just carried on and on.
“I always asked myself whether I should have tried to speak to them [the BBC] about it.”
Chadwick made only 39 appearances in all competitions for United, spending time on loan at Royal Antwerp, Reading and Burnley.
And the 39-year-old clearly felt his time on the pitch was blighted by cruel taunts off it – with the hit BBC show playing a big part.
Talking about the subject of mental health in Mental Health Awareness week, he said: “We’ve all got a journey to go on,
“I still want to learn about myself. I thought that yesterday, ‘Why am I feeling guilty for the guy on the telly?’ I didn’t need to bring up They Think It’s All Over.”
The former midfielder joined West Ham on a free in 2004, and went on to finish his playing career with Soham Town Rangers in non-league football.
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