Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson has said football was his "saviour", having contemplated taking his own life as a child.

The England international, 33, spoke at length to the High Performance Podcast, external about his early life, including growing up as the eldest of six children in a single-parent household with a different father to his other siblings, spells in foster care, receiving help from foodbanks and his mother experiencing domestic abuse.

Wilson, who has recently sought therapy to help with the trauma of his childhood experiences, said he had had "suicidal moments" at the age of about 12.

Asked how he stopped those thoughts, Wilson said: "I was so young. I was just thinking this can't be all that life has to offer.

"There was more out there for me. A higher power was calling me and football really was my saviour. It was my escape.

"My mum didn't drive, so I'd always be picked up by my Sunday league coach. When I would leave my home environment, I was going into a family feel with my peers.

"My coach was fantastic. He had a nice family and they would sometimes get me food on the way home.

"I got that love and care that I probably wasn't getting as much at my house - that was not by choice and no fault of my mum's. The environment was dictating who I was becoming. Football was what helped me get away from it all."

Wilson said he chose to seek therapy about a year ago, a decision stemming from an argument he had with a Newcastle physio during a gym session.

The physio, who noticed a change in Wilson's mood and demeanour in subsequent days, suggested he would benefit from professional help.

"What I've realised is when football and life are going great, you can block it out," added Wilson, who appeared for England at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

"I've had a period over the past 18 months where I've had setback after setback, things just got on top and basically it was too much to suppress. It all rose to a head and I was like: 'I need to seek therapy now.'

"I was at a point where I was starting to go back down the wrong path, little things were creeping in like gambling, and I didn't want to become that person so I needed professional help.

"It took a bit of bravery to realise that as strong as I feel my mind is at times, you also can speak. Even just speaking to her [the therapist] was a great help."

Wilson began his career at Coventry City and appeared in the Premier League for Bournemouth before joining Newcastle in 2020.

His contract is set to expire later this summer.

In March, he was part of the Newcastle squad that won the Carabao Cup - ending the club's 70-year wait to win a domestic trophy.