England rugby hero Ben Cohen has revealed he sold his World Cup winner’s medal to help him survive the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cohen, who played a key role in England’s victory over Australia in 2003, has previously spoken about his struggle to adjust to life after rugby.
The 46-year-old called time on his career in 2011 and has since taken part in Strictly Come Dancing where he met his partner Kristina Rihanoff.
Cohen has also appeared on reality shows The Jump, The Celebrity Chase and The Real Full Monty, however, the handful of television appearances has not been enough to fill the void left by rugby.
The former wing, who won 57 England caps, recently lifted the lid on his financial woes sparked by what he described as lack of skill set and life skills due to his devotion to rugby.
Cohen let slip the revelation about his medal live on talkSPORT where former teammate Phil Vickery, sat beside him in the studio, fought back tears.
Fans were quick to flood in with calls and texts in support of Cohen, with one in particular causing the World Cup winner to make the startling admission.
Host Jim White read out a caller’s message that said: “A degree for you would be nice, sure, but that’s nothing to what you gave us that day. Please don’t ever underestimate that, Ben. You gave us that day, and you still give us it.”
White then told Cohen: “So he’s saying, Ben, you might swap your Rugby World Cup winner’s medal for a degree, but we don’t want you to, because of what you gave them.”