Former footballer Clarke Carlisle, who has a home in Ripponden, has told how he made the decision that he "had to die" after being charged with a drink driving offence, and later jumped into the path of an oncoming lorry near York.

The 35-year-old, who was once the Professional Footballers' Association chairman, was seriously injured on the A64 last December.

In an interview with the Sun he has now spoken of how he felt taking his own life would be "the perfect answer" to a series of problems he was facing.

The news that he was to lose his job as a pundit on ITV, three years after he was released from Burnley football club, caused Carlisle to go on a gambling spree and hours later he was charged with a drink-driving offence of failing to provide a sample.

Two days later the former Premier League player was in hospital with serious injuries after the collision with the lorry. He was released on Friday, six weeks after the incident and said that was the moment he realised he was "incredibly unwell".

He told the Sun: "I ventured out of my room not as Clarke the ex-footballer, but as Clarke, a mental health patient. That was the first step in my road to recovery."

Since the collision, a host of footballers, former clubs, organisations and charities have used social media to send messages of support to Carlisle and his family.

Writing on Twitter Carlisle's wife Gemma appealed to those suffering from depression to seek help, and said her thoughts are with the driver of the lorry that hit her husband.

She wrote: "Please if anyone is suffering ... know that it WILL get better. I can promise you that. Reach out to someone, anyone. You're not alone.

"We send our love & thoughts to the lorry driver & family. It could have been anyone and Clarke is desperately sorry that it was him

"Suicide & depression is not selfish. It's a serious illness where your world & reality are warped."

The mother-of-two said the couple had decided to do the interview to tell the truth about what they had been through.

She tweeted: "We also want to highlight and create understanding for a lot of issues and feel it would be hypocritical of us to saying nothing."

Carlisle, who is now undergoing counselling, was due to appear at Highbury Magistrates' Court, in north London last month to face the drink-driving charge, but the hearing was adjourned to a later date.

Carlisle is not your average footballing personality.

In his playing days he was a good defender.

He spent most of his career in the lower divisions but did have spells in the Premier League with Burnley and Watford while he also represented England at Under-21 level.

But it is off the pitch that he has really stood out.

In 2002 he was named Britain's Brainiest Footballer after appearing on a TV quiz, while he has also been a contestant on Countdown and a panellist on Question Time.

In recent years, the 36-year-old has been a major figure in football politics, serving as chairman of the players' union, the Professional Footballers' Association (between 2010 and 2013) and also as an ambassador for anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out.

It has seemed a natural fit for someone who achieved 10 A grades at GCSE, studied maths and politics at A-Level while out injured and also has a degree in Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting from Staffordshire University.

He also began a media career before his retirement from professional football in 2013, working as a pundit and presenting TV documentaries on racism and mental health issues in football.

The latter was a subject particularly close to his heart, having previously opened up about past struggles with depression and alcoholism.

These included a suicide attempt in 2001, triggered by a potentially career-threatening knee injury.

Carlisle, also a devout Christian, was born in Preston and followed his father Mervin - a semi-professional with Morecambe and Southport - into football.

He began his career with Blackpool before moving to QPR.

It was while at Loftus Road that he suffered his serious knee injury, a torn cruciate ligament that sidelined him for more than a year-and-a-half.

He moved to Leeds in 2004, after recovering, and then Watford, where injury again struck and limited his involvement in their 2006/07 top-flight campaign to four appearances, although he did play in an FA Cup semi-final.

He got another chance in the Premier League with Burnley in 2009/10, one of three seasons in the Clarets first team before he fell out of favour.

He had spells at Preston, York and Northampton before retiring two years ago.

He has two children with wife Gemma and an elder daughter from a previous relationship.