Republic of Ireland and Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter and his girlfriend Rachel dealt with the loss of daughter Renee in December after she was stillborn.
Speaking to The Guardian, the player stated that the tragedy that struck him and his family inspired him to give his team-mates an emotional speech ahead of the game against Manchester United.
Arter said that "I used what happened to say to the lads: 'Listen, I've experienced how short a life can be, what's happened to my little baby could happen to someone in this team, so make sure you give everything today because these football moments are not going to last forever, and what I've learned from this experience is that life can end at any second'".
Speaking about his girlfriend, Arter added that "to this day I don't know how Rachel, physically and emotionally, dealt with it. She stayed there the whole night knowing she was still going to have to give birth naturally to our baby that hadn't made it.
"And for her to do that…it's the most respect I'll ever have for anyone. To have to do that, and the way she dealt with it, was unbelievable and made me have an unconditional love for her".
He revealed that the moment that stands out for him is that Manchester United game, just a few days after the loss of Renee, when he broke down in tears on the sideline as he waited to come back on the field after receiving treatment.
He stated that his manager, Eddie Howe, embraced him in that moment, and it was a hugely personal touch from him, although he admitted that "I was in a state and, looking back now, I don’t know how I played".
Image: Adam Davy / PA Archive/PA Images
Arter also revealed that he was contacted by a number of Irish players and the management team who sent their condolences to him and Rachel.
"Martin O’Neill called me, Roy Keane was with him and sent his best wishes. People I play with for Ireland that I’m not close to at all were texting me. There were people from all across the world sending me messages – I must have received over 3,000 across that Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I swear I read every single one and Rachel probably read most of them as well".
Arter admitted that neither he nor his partner Rachel have any definite answers for what happened, as they will need to wait for the results of a postmortem, but he wanted to open up about the incident in order to help with the healing process.
"Every single game now I go out – and this is the truth – to play for her. I think I need to do her proud and play as well as I physically can, so that if she’s watching she’ll be happy".
Via The Guardian
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
