BURNLEY forward Jonathan Walters has spoken for the first time about his mum’s death in an interview with Clarets fan Tony Livesey on BBC Radio 5Live, writes Fraser Smith.

In a candid interview, which was part of a series to celebrate Mother’s Day, Walters opened up about the loss he suffered when he was 13 years old.

After poignantly noting that he does not talk about the death even to his wife, he said about the moment when he heard of the news of his mum being diagnosed with cancer: “My dad pulled us into the room, I do not think my sisters were there, it was just my two brothers, my two older brothers and we just got told.

“How as a dad do you tell your kids? Yeah he just pulled us in and said, look your mum’s not going to be around for much longer.

“I took myself off and I probably would have cried for six or seven hours.”

In one of a series of sombre anecdotes Walters acknowledged how he coped the day after his mum’s passing.

“I lock it away, that is how I deal with it, I lock it away. I probably did from the day she passed away," he said.

“I went to school the next day and one of the big memories was when I was told to pick up the register by the headteacher.

“I knew what was happening. So I went round the school, they sent me out the room to tell everyone that this has happened to Jon yesterday.

“I came back into the class and your mates are like 'are you okay, are you alright?' You pretend you are, that was year six in school so you are one of the big boys in school, you are a popular boy.

“You put on a show and I think from that point you put up a wall.”

He also said that he learnt a number of things after the death of a relative so early in his life with the interview revealing how much it has shaped him as a man.

One of the most important things he seemed to learn from the death is perspective.

By comparing the situation he found himself in at the age of 13 he could cope well with defeat in sport.

“I have had horrendous games and I have had horrendous times in football," Walters said.

“I scored two own goals, missed a penno, kicked the ball in my own face.

“I got home and the kids were laughing. My wife put the telly on and I would watch things when the bloopers come on and they are laughing at me.

“I’m like that does not bother me; that is the minimal of bad things that happen to you, the real bad things that happen to you.

“If I’m down in a match you don’t get down and you just get on with it."