Luke Ayling opens up on living with a stammer after years of avoiding interviews

Daniel Brown

‘I’ve kind of got to a point now where I just don’t care.’

Luke Ayling has opened up about dealing with a stammer, admitting that he used to “shy away” from interviews when he first arrived at Leeds United.

The 30-year-old, who arrived at Elland Road in 2016, has spoken candidly about the consequences his stammer has on his everyday life.

Ayling is finally finding his voice.

Speaking to the BBC, the former Yeovil Town defender revealed that he gets his partner to order meals for them from the drive-thru because of his “insecurities” and the reaction from his previous interviews.

However, he added that he has now go to a point where he ‘doesn’t care’ or worry about his stutter while taking part in interviews.

After years of avoiding interviews because of his stammer, @LUFC defender @lukeayling_8 is finally finding his voice 👊#lufc #MOTDx #bbcfootball

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) March 31, 2022

“When I first came to Leeds, I wasn’t comfortable at all doing interviews,” Ayling told the BBC.

“And I’ve kind of got to a point now where I just don’t care. If I do an interview and I have a stutter, I see a lot of things online when people say that I say ‘then’ and ‘like’ a lot but that’s my safety blanket kind of thing.

“Because I know that I can get those words out. I see a lot of people who maybe don’t know that I’ve got a stutter say ‘all I hear is then and like’.

“I just got to a point where I just thought, do you know what, I’m doing an interview with somebody who wants to speak to me and who actually wants to hear what I’ve got to say so why am I scared to do it? Because I shied away for so long from doing it.”

Ayling says he still has insecurities about his stammer.

He added: “But I will still go to a drive-thru and I’ll be sat in the driver’s seat and I’ll still make my missus order it because I don’t want to do it. So, I still have those insecurities.

“It’s horrible because I sit here and I’ve got loads of things that I want to say but I know I can’t get them out so I just ramble on. That’s probably why I’m quite loud in the dressing room and just don’t care because I just say what I feel.”

Since arriving at Leeds, Ayling has made 215 appearances for the Yorkshire outfit, registering eight goals and 18 assists during his time at Elland Road.