WEST HAM star Kalvin Phillips has spoken openly about how his father being in jail has impacted his life and career.
The England international, who has joined the Hammers on loan after struggling to break into the Manchester City first team, opened up about his childhood in Amazon Prime’s 2023 documentary ‘Kalvin Phillips: The Road To City’.
Who is Kalvin Phillips’ dad?
Kalvin has previously revealed that dad Mark has been in and out of jail throughout the footballer’s life.
He is currently behind bars at HM Prison Wealstun in West Yorkshire.
Kalvin was born a triplet with two sisters.
Sadly, one of the baby girls, Lacreasha, died at just a few months old.
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Why is Kalvin Phillips’ dad in jail?
Mark has spent time in prison for offences involving violence and drugs.
He is currently serving a 12-year sentence.
In a 2020 interview with The Times, Kalvin said: “He’s been in and out my life since when I was young.
“He’s been in prison, out of prison, he got into the wrong crowd, drugs, fighting, anything you can name.”
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What has Kalvin Phillips said about his dad?
In the Prime documentary Kalvin Phillips: The Road To City, Kalvin speaks at length about how his father’s situation has affected his life.
The sportsman explained: “My drive is probably from not having a father figure there.
“I’ve always wanted to make my mum proud.
“Dad was in and out of prison.
“It affected our relationship because we didn’t see him all the time.
“When he went away we knew he wasn’t coming back for a while, which was the worst thing.”
He also revealed that he doesn’t like to visit his dad, preferring to speak on the phone, but would regularly drive past the prison when training with Leeds.
The ex-Manchester City star said: “It was strange, because every time I drove past it I would think about him.
“When I was young I didn’t want to talk about it but now it’s like, ‘Yeah, my dad’s in prison’.
“It’s not that big a deal, he’s been in for so long.”
Kalvin continued: “I don’t want him to think he’s got nowt when he comes out, when obviously we’ve done so well and I’ve done so well.
“When my dad comes out I just want to try and have a better relationship with him so he doesn’t feel like he’s missed out.”
Kalvin added that he doesn’t judge his father for the choices he’s made in life.
He said: “Obviously he’s made some wrong decisions but I don’t judge him for them because I’ve heard about the upbringing he had, and it was tough.”
At the end of the documentary, which was filmed over a year and released in July 2023, Kalvin reveals his dad only has two more years left on his sentence.
He said: “He’s told me exactly what he wants to do when he gets out, which is to come and watch football, and that’s one thing I can help him do.
“It will be nice because I’ve not had him there for such a long time.”
Who is Kalvin Phillips’ mum?
Kalvin’s mum is Lindsay Crosby.
After giving birth to the triplets on December 2, 1995, she went on to have another daughter and a younger son.
Lindsay held two jobs as she raised her children, working a cash-and-carry and a pizza takeaway.
In Kalvin’s documentary, the star’s mum reveals how she hid the truth about Mark’s prison stints.
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She explained: “I tried to hide a lot of things from the kids because I didn’t want them to think that this was OK.
“I used to say he’d gone to work because I didn’t want them to think it was normal to behave like that.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
