England football hero Terry Butcher broke down in tears during an emotional appearance on Good Morning Britain as he remembered his late son, Christopher. The former England captain, 67, was on the ITV breakfast show alongside hosts Ed Balls and Susanna Reid to promote his ITV4 documentary Invisible Wounds, but became visibly upset when an image of his son appeared on screen.
Emotional Tribute to His Son
Christopher Butcher, a former British Army Captain, died at the age of 35 after battling severe PTSD following his departure from the army in 2017. Terry Butcher, who serves as the first patron of Combat2Coffee, a non-profit social enterprise supporting veterans, admitted he initially did not want to discuss his son. He said: "We suffered acutely, and I didn't want to talk about Chris. I find it cathartic, a little bit, talking about him now. When I see him on the screen now, I have a big lump in my throat and I've got to get over it. I'm still not out of it, you'll never be out of it."
Susanna Reid's Apology
During the interview, Susanna Reid noticed Terry's tie and asked about it, which prompted further tears. Terry explained: "It's a Royal Artillery tie. It wasn't Chris's but we have a coffee shop near the HQ and Chris was taught there, I went along and I was presented... excuse me, I'm a bit emotional. I was presented with the tie and I wear that as much as I can. Thanks for making me cry." Susanna quickly apologised, and Terry responded: "It's okay. No problem ... He was a bit of a devil, I'm a devil too! We were so much like each other. He's a special boy and his memory will always be there, hopefully his memory now will help. I find it tough."
Christopher's Death and Inquest
An inquest into Christopher's death found that he died from an abnormal enlargement of the heart combined with the effect of drugs against a background of PTSD. The coroner ruled that the 35-year-old "became a victim of war" after serving tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Terry, who also has sons Edward and Alistair with his wife Rita, spoke candidly about his grief in a recent interview with The Mirror, explaining that he struggled to show his emotions for a long time.
Coping with Grief
Terry shared: "When I go up to bed in the evening, Chris's room is on the left and our room is on the right. I always stop at the top of the stairs and say good night to him, just give him a wink and all that sort of thing, because that was the room where he passed away. Whenever we go to the grave - he's got like a military grave with an artillery crest on there - we sort of hug the stone and always say, 'See you at home, son.' It's really tough, but it's just part of our life now, and how we go about it." He added: "I was feted as this so-called hard man. You just didn't cry. But I think you have to. I think it's compulsory. It's part of the process."
Terry recalled breaking down in tears unexpectedly on a train, noting that "grief does creep up on you, but it's a bit more easy now than it was before, and I can talk about him a lot more. When someone says, 'How many children did you have?' I normally say three sons. And then if they ask what they're all doing now, then you have to come clean and say one passed away. And then that conversation stops, because they don't know what to say."
Finding Purpose Through Combat2Coffee
What has helped Terry most since Christopher's death is Combat2Coffee, the veterans organisation he now works closely with, which provides invaluable mental health support for those in the armed forces. He said: "I couldn't say it's helped save my life, because I was never at that stage, but it certainly helped me. What it has done is give me a mission. All through my career as a footballer there were missions. Survive relegation, win titles, be strong, go to Europe, international matches... the full range. That was my mission then… this is now."
