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World Cup pundit Nadia Nadim has revealed her mother’s sudden death caused her to abruptly leave during ITV’s coverage of a live game.
Viewers noticed how the women’s football star and refugee, 34, had been part of broadcaster’s coverage of Denmark’s goalless draw with Tunisia on Tuesday, but was no longer present in the studio after the final whistle.
ITV confirmed she had left the studio early, but refused to elaborate further before the news broke on Wednesday afternoon.
The analyst confirmed today she was forced to suddenly leave as her mother, Hadima Nadim, 57, was killed by a truck while on her way back from the gym.
Nadia and her mother bravely fled Afghanistan when she was just 11, after going into hiding for three years when her Army general father was executed by the Taliban.
Taking to Instagram, the former Manchester City and PSG forward wrote: ‘Tuesday morning my Mother was killed by a truck. She was on her way back from the gym.
‘Words can not describe what I’m feeling. I have lost the most important person in my life and it happened so sudden and unexpected.
ITV ‘s World Cup pundit Nadia Nadim has revealed her mother has died after being killed by a truck while on her way back from the gym (Pictured: Nadia moments before abandoning the ITV broadcast after discovering the tragic news last night)
The Afghan football star and former refugee is pictured with her mother (right) before her shock passing
Nadia revealed the tragic news on her Instagram page today (pictured)
Viewers noticed how the women’s football star and refugee, 34, had been part of broadcaster’s coverage of Denmark’s goalless draw with Tunisia on Tuesday, but was no longer present in the studio after the final whistle
The rising star (pictured with David Beckham) was the first female footballer from Denmark to be sponsored by Nike when she signed a brand ambassador deal with the company in 2017. The deal was extended last year to 2024.
Nadia also speaks more than eight languages and qualified as a doctor in January
‘She was only 57. She was a warrior who had fought for every inch of her life. She didn’t give me life once but twice, and everything I/ we are is because of her.
‘I have lost my home and I know nothings gonna ever feel the same. Life is unfair and I don’t understand why her and why this way. I love you and I will see you again.’
Nadim added: ‘Her funeral is going to be soon… please come and show her the love, respect and prayers she deserves.’
It is still not clear where Nadia’s mother was killed.
Born in Herat in the north east of Afghanistan, Nadia was raised in the country until her father Rabani, an army general, was executed by the Taliban in 2000. He was taken to the desert by the group and never seen or heard from again.
Her mother and four sisters moved from house to house for three years, living in fear for their lives, before eventually deciding to flee.
Nadim’s mother sold everything they had to take a minivan to Karachi, where they waited two months for fake passports before taking a flight to Italy.
Once there, they spent days hiding in a basement in Milan before spending 50 hours on the back of a truck to reach what they were told was London – but which turned out to be a refugee camp in rural Denmark.
Recalling the ‘horror’ of her departure from Afghanistan in a Sky Sports interview last September, Nadia said: ‘Before the war, I have very fond memories of the country, of our life, the safe environment.
Taking to Instagram , the former Manchester City and PSG forward wrote: ‘Tuesday morning my Mother was killed by a truck. She was on her way back from the gym’
Nadia’s social media pages are full of adoring pictures of her mother
Born in Herat in the north east of Afghanistan, Nadia was raised in the country until her father, an army general, was executed by the Taliban in 2000
The talented sportswoman previously won the French league title in the 2020-2021 season while playing with Paris Saint-German
‘I had my mum and dad. And then I have the second part, which is the war, and after my dad was killed.
‘Those memories are not nice memories, a lot of chaos, a lot of just horror.
‘At the end, things were made very hard for us as a family to function and to see a future or feel safe.’
Nadia, aged just 11, and her family, moved to a second refugee camp in Denmark, where she discovered football after seeing a group of girls playing it over a fence.
Despite not speaking any English or Danish, she continued gesturing to the coach that she wanted to play, and he eventually let her take part in drills.
She made the team within three months and was invited to play her first match. Her family would soon be awarded asylum and she joined a school and began a newspaper route. She never fell out of love with football and continued to impress on the pitch.
In 2009 she debuted for the Danish senior national team as the first ever non-Danish born member.
During her international career, she has played for Denmark almost 100 times. She is widely renowned as the greatest female Afghan footballer of all time.
Nadia also speaks more than eight languages and qualified as a doctor in January.
She currently plays in the National Women’s Soccer League in the US for Racing Louisville FC.
The talented sportswoman previously won the French league title in the 2020-2021 season while playing with Paris Saint-German.
And in the UK she has played for Manchester City, scoring within the first six minutes of her debut against Reading in January 2018, which ended in a 5-2 victory.
She and her family fled her country of birth and settled in Denmark at age 11, where she launched her football career inside a refugee camp
Off the pitch, she is a passionate ambassador for UNESCO and regularly speaks on panels addressing children’s education and sports.
The star was the first female footballer from Denmark to be sponsored by Nike when she signed a brand ambassador deal with the company in 2017. The deal was extended last year to 2024.
Nadia hopes to become a surgeon when she hangs up her football boots and has already assisted in some operations.
She received her doctorate from Denmark’s Aarhus University medical school, studying remotely during football season.
The pundit graced the cover of Vogue Arabia this month, and in 2018 was named by Forbes as among the top 20 ‘Most Powerful Women in International Sports.’
Other big brands have rushed to work with the star, including Visa and Hugo Boss.
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