Football 'helps grieving Defoe'

Jermain Defoe was training when he was told Jade was dying

England footballer Jermain Defoe uses the sport to help deal with his grief at the death of his half-brother, he has said.

Jade Defoe, 26, suffered head injuries during an attack in Leytonstone in April. He died in hospital days later.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Mr Defoe, 26, said the death had hit his family "really, really hard".

He said: "You can focus on football when you're on the pitch. Off it, you just think about things."

Mr Defoe said he was "close" to his half-brother, who had hoped for a career in music.

Talking about the moment he realised Jade was dying, Mr Defoe said: "I was at the training ground, the day before Manchester United away.

"Obviously I knew he was in intensive care but then my mum turned up. As soon as I saw her face, I knew."

The reason why you play, get on with it and do so well is because that's where you get your peace Jermaine Defoe

Mr Defoe had two hours to say goodbye to his half-brother.

"I just had to get myself to the hospital and be there for him," he said.

"It was crazy. All the family were there and his close friends. It was so strange. I looked at my brother. He was 26 years old."

He added: "You just don't expect it. The year before I lost my nan. In that situation, or someone dies when they are ill, you prepare yourself."

Mr Defoe said playing football gave him a chance to take his mind off what had happened.

"When you are playing, it is the only place you get away from everything," he said.

"The reason why you play, get on with it and do so well is because that's where you get your peace."

Christopher Farley, 33, from Leytonstone, east London, has been charged with Jade Defoe's murder.