Former Wanderers midfielder Jay Spearing has revealed that he was rushed to hospital over Christmas.

The midfielder joined the Whites in the summer of 2012, initially on loan from Liverpool, and made the move permanent the following year.

Spearing went on to make 173 appearances during a five-year spell at the UniBol, scoring eight times in total.

After leaving Bolton, the 34-year-old went on to have stints at Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool and Tranmere.

He is now back at Anfield as a player-coach in the Reds’ Under-21 set-up and has featured in the Papa Johns Trophy this season.

Spearing says his body was at risk of “shutting down” and he has now been diagnosed with a condition called Addison’s disease.

The midfielder says things could have "turned out very differently" and has urged people to get checked out if they notice changes in their bodies.

He wrote on his Instagram page: "My first Christmas off in 17 years was a little different than I expected.

“After blood tests with the club, on Xmas Eve I was told I needed to attend hospital urgently before my body starting shutting down. I was potentially hours/days away from going into something called adrenal crisis.

"After more observations and tests were carried out they diagnosed me with Addison's Disease. It’s taken me a minute to get my head around it, but I am thankful that now it’s been diagnosed it can be controlled and managed through hormone replacement treatment, and it’s not something that I will allow to affect or dictate my life.

"Thinking back, I have been ignoring symptoms and changes in my body for over a year, without it being checked.”

He added: "Moral of the story - don’t ignore changes in your body. No matter how small, get them checked out!"

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