Millie Bright: Former England and Chelsea captain on abuse, retirement and the future

When Millie Bright announced her retirement on Wednesday, her mother gave her a letter.

But as Bright continues to wrestle with the emotions of her big announcement, she says she couldn’t read it all.

The 32-year-old retired from England last year and has now left Chelsea after 314 appearances, eight Women’s Super League titles, six FA Cups and four League Cups.

A Euro winner in 2022, she has returned home to her family’s farm in Sheffield and is celebrating her father’s 60th birthday – the kind of occasion she would have previously missed while playing and training.

Surrounded by her family and beloved horses, Bright says she is “at peace” with the decision to retire after what she describes as the most challenging two years of her life.

“Both physically and mentally, I was ready to say goodbye,” Bright told BBC Sport.

“The mental side of things for me personally… life was very difficult, and the amount of abuse I dealt with was too much to handle.

“I think in the past year I lost myself as a person, and it took me a long time to rebuild myself.”

Bright withdrew from England’s Euro group in 2025, as she felt she could not give 100% mentally and physically, and says that announcement resulted in her receiving a substantial amount of abuse.

“It was difficult because I was trying to do the right thing for me and the team. I didn’t expect the abuse,” she says.

“I expected people to be like, ‘Why are you making this decision?’ I can tolerate it, but to question my integrity, my passion and commitment as a player… I can never accept that.

“We’re still human, we have a life outside of football and I think that’s forgotten 99% of the time.”