BBC Sport presenter Gabby Logan has opened up about being left "devastated" after her daughter Lois came home from school and admitted she had been involved in bullying. The 53-year-old broadcaster shared the story on her Mid.Point podcast, revealing that Lois endured bullying at around the age of 11, which led to her facing "all kinds of issues and problems" during her time at school.
A Gut-Wrenching Moment
Gabby described a particularly heartbreaking moment when Lois was trying out a potential new school. She recalled: "My daughter was trying out a school that she thought she wanted to go to for the day and she said to one of the girls she was put with, she was about 11 at the time, 'So who are the girls that I should avoid, who are the tricky girls' and this girl looked at her and went, 'My group'."
Reflecting on the incident, Gabby said: "When she told me that I thought, 'That self awareness at 11 or 12 years old that you were the group that caused the problems is quite remarkable actually'. But there is that sort of attraction, isn't there?"
Parental Devastation
Gabby explained that Lois had experienced bullying when she was younger, which made her "antennae really up" for a few years. "She had been that child that was attracted to the group that seemed to be the sassy group and with it came all kinds of issues and problems," she said. "As a parent I had no idea until she came home and told me what was going on, obviously, which is also devastating, isn't it? Any parent who has had a child in those situations because you think that everything is fine and obviously what you want is your child to share as soon as you possibly can, without jumping in."
Expert Advice on Bullying
Child psychologist Tara Proctor, speaking on the same podcast, explained that youngsters often worry their parents will "make a fuss". She said: "When they come home from school and tell you, you can get up in arms about it, and sometimes kids want that, they want you to go in and sort it out. But it's a really difficult one and I think the word 'advise' is a tricky one too. I would say that one thing nobody has said to me in therapy, no young person, no adult, is, 'I wish my mum had given me more advice'."
Dr Proctor acknowledged that parents may need to intervene swiftly if their child is facing a "chronic bullying problem", although they can sometimes react too quickly. She continued: "You've got to hold back on that feeling until you know it's really a chronic problem and just use that empathy, trying to understand it from their point of view." She urged parents to ask about their children's feelings and experiences, before "sprinkling knowledge" about friendships — particularly the idea of an "on-off friend", someone whose behaviour is inconsistent.
Family Tributes
Earlier this year, Gabby and her siblings paid a heartbreaking tribute to their father, Welsh football star Terry Yorath, following his death at the age of 75. The former Leeds United and Wales midfielder died in January after a short illness. A family statement read: "To most he was a revered footballing hero, but to us he was Dad; a quiet, kind and gentle man. Our hearts are broken but we take comfort knowing that he will be reunited with our brother, Daniel."
Gabby is also mother to Lois's twin brother Reuben, whom she shares with husband Kenny Logan. The couple married in 2001 and welcomed their twins four years later.
