Dan Burn opens up to Alan Shearer in an interview about mental health, and coming off social media after seeing negative comments.
The Newcastle United defender recently spoke with club legend Alan Shearer for BBC Sport during Mental Health Awareness Week, sharing his experiences with mental health challenges and his decision to step away from social media.
Burn, now 33, reflected on a difficult period earlier in his career, particularly when he was 21 and playing in the Premier League with Fulham.
He described feeling overwhelmed, questioning how he could struggle mentally despite achieving his dream of top-flight football. ”
The footballer also emphasising that opening up revealed how common these struggles are, crediting a strong support network for helping him through and noted that increased awareness in football has made it easier to discuss mental health, shifting perceptions from weakness to strength in seeking help.
In a 2023 interview with The Mirror, he explained his decision to delete his accounts, citing the abuse he received after a 3-0 loss to Everton.
He described social media as a “dark place” where negativity overshadows positivity, particularly after poor performances.
Burn highlighted the emotional toll of reading derogatory comments about his appearance or character, which could linger for days.
He also expressed concern about the broader impact on younger players and fans, noting that constant exposure to criticism can erode confidence.
🗣️ “I got in the habit of searching my name after games.”
Dan Burn spoke to @AlanShearer about why he took time away from social media.#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek pic.twitter.com/2EJokE7iBK
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) May 12, 2025
Shearer: Thanks for joining us. We’re gonna talk about what, some people perhaps don’t like talking about mental health. I guess what people will look at from the outside and think, oh, these guys don’t need any help. Dan Burn, he’s a giant of a guy. What is what is he doesn’t need any help. He’s a footballer. He’ll have money. He’ll have a lovely house. He got a lovely family, but doesn’t work like that. Does it?
Burn: No. And I think that’s what I thought as well. I think I was, like, embarrassed. I think that I’ve had, like, mental health battles that I’ve spoke about. I think, at the time I’ve been playing Premier League football and I was like, how can I be feeling like this like, Premier League footballer, like 21 years old and I’m having these feelings. But what I would say is that I think like mental health and it doesn’t discriminate like affect everybody. Fulham were great with me. I said I was struggling. I was feeling, like, pretty low and, like, really anxious. So I went and spoke to psychologists and, they set up meetings with sort of counselors and and therapists. And, yeah, really good and sort of really thankful to them for that. And I feel now with something that every time you had a sign for a new club or you go somewhere, I feel it’s something that spoke about and you know that it’s on offer there and very sort of accessed.
Shearer: I guess when I look back at my career, certainly when I when I started, I left here, I left Newcastle or the city to go down to Southampton as a kid at 15 years of age. And, I mean, the enormity of that is it was was huge. I had to somehow find a way and and what’s maybe available to you now and what everyone hopefully, openly speaks about, it didn’t happen that then. And that was that was a tough time for me. Tough time also was, before you 96 when I hadn’t scored for England for the two years, you know, and you can imagine that the stick in the criticism that you were, I was getting then and going into that tournament and hoping and praying. And I guess if only I could have spoken to people then in the way that’s available now, I’m pretty sure that would help me. I mean, so we all we all have moments throughout our career. Jim around the corner, Steve around that corner. They they have the same problems as what what we do. So it’s hugely important just to talk, isn’t it?
Burn: Yeah. I think so. And I think that’s the the like, the hard bit, obviously, is, like, admitting that you’re struggling a bit. We do loads of of stuff at the foundation. I think, the outreach they have in our region for so many different sort of initiatives, are huge. And as I said, I’ve always said I’m very passionate about mental health and, opening up and talking to people and checking in with people.
Shearer: I mean, even this place, I guess, is that it may just be an opportunity for someone if they’re coming here once a week or once every other week. They might not even know the person that sat next to, you know, even to have a chit chat or something like that.
Burn: The Newcastle as a city was sort of very community based anyway, but, yeah, just come there even half time just checking in and see how they’re doing
Shearer: And it might even be easier if you don’t even know that person.
Burn: Yeah. Even better. And I said, like, it’s not a real opportunity that you can something very little, but can make a big sort of difference to to to people’s lives and, keep them going.
Shearer: I mean, you you mentioned that about having tough times. Did you find it originally when you had to open up maybe for the first time? Did you did you find that difficult?
Burn: Yeah. I genuinely think that’s the hardest thing sometimes to do, but I think I would encourage everyone to do it just like sort of that once you’ve done it, the sense of relief that you’ve shared that with someone and you know that someone sort of knows that. And I think the reality of it is at times you’ve got so much going on in your head, and it seems so important in your head. And then when you say out loud, you go like, half the time, like, why have you been worrying about that? It works differently for everyone, and you’ve got to sort of find that balance, what works for you. But, that that first time is the most difficult, but probably I would say the most rewarding thing that I ever did.
Shearer: I think times throughout my career, the hardest parts have been the serious injuries. The you’re out of the dressing room. You’re in the treatment room every single day. You’re not mixing with the, with the guys, and that’s what I found very, very difficult. Fortunately, we got on great with our physios. They were always a close sort of network for me, and I sort of had to lean on those guys really heavily to get through that.
Burn: Yeah. Definitely. I feel like, you you isolate yourself a little bit, but you don’t realise you’re doing it. And I think that if you can sort of recognise those signs in people, I would go to training, come back, and then I’d be, like, playing video games and stuff. My girlfriend, my wife, and I would be at work. And you would spend so long with yourself with your thoughts that it was hard to get out of that. My advice to people would be get outside into the sunshine. Even if you walk and, like, any sort of physical activity, I think, for your mental health, that’s, like, my number one, advice.
Shearer: I don’t wanna keep going back to my day, but in my day, there was there wasn’t any social media. You’ve got the added, I don’t know, stress, worry. What, however you look at it, it can be a vicious place at times social media con.
Burn: Yes, huge. That was part of the reason I came off. I think you got in the habit of coming in from games and then like searching me name to see what people were saying about me. How many good ones there was? It was always the one person who would do it and that’s all you would sort of fix it on and, like, the best thing I ever did was coming off social media. And I know now it’s, like, very easy for me to sit and say, don’t go on social media. Don’t do this because
Shearer: Especially as you’ve just come back on it.
Burn: Exactly. I’m back on it now. But I think it’s, like, you don’t need to be be on it like the the people’s things that matters are like the family’s opinions, like the manager’s opinions. And those are the direct ones that everybody else is sort of like. Shouldn’t really matter. But as I said, I think it’s something that you need to be mindful of when you’re on social media that a lot of it isn’t real. It’s not just like to what you’d be like. And I said that does that can have a big effect on the sort of your mental health.
Shearer: I think what we’re saying today is is that reach out, talk to someone, call someone, and if you’re fine, just check-in on someone else as well and ask and send a message or a call. It costs nothing, does it?
Burn: No. Absolutely not. I think if everyone everyone can do that, I think, world would be a better place.
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