Beth Mead's mum June dies after 'long and brave battle with ovarian cancer'
- Published
Beth Mead won the Golden Boot and was player of the tournament at Euro 2022
Beth Mead's mother June has died after "a long and brave battle with ovarian cancer", the England international has announced.
June Mead supported her daughter's career as she progressed to become one of the biggest stars in the women's game.
Mead was key to the England side which won the Euros and was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2022.
"If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever," Mead said.
June Mead was diagnosed with cancer in 2021, with Beth winning numerous team and individual honours - including best player and top scorer at Euro 2022 - against the backdrop of her mother's illness.
"At 1am on 7 January, our beautiful, kind, funny mum and wife passed away after a long and brave battle against ovarian cancer," Mead, 27, said in a statement posted to Twitter.
"She was surrounded by myself, my brother and dad as she passed away peacefully.
"Our hearts are broken, there will be a piece missing forever but heaven has now gained a special angel. If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever.
"I'm sad that you are gone, but I'm more grateful for the time we had together."
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
In an interview with BBC Sport in November, Arsenal forward Mead described her mother as her "biggest motivation".
"The strength that my mum off the pitch has given me - it's been a difficult year for my family and for her individually - so she has been incredible," she said.
"It was amazing to get the trophies and celebrate in front of all the fans but for me I couldn't wait to get round the stadium to then get to my mum, dad and brother and cherish and share that moment with them.
"Yes this summer was amazing, but there's been a lot that's gone before that and credit to my family, they supported me and got me to where I am today."
Arsenal play Chelsea in the Women's Super League on Sunday at midday at Emirates Stadium, but Mead will miss the game due to a knee ligament injury which has ruled her out for the rest of the season.
Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall says his team will wear black armbands for the fixture in memory of June Mead.
Eidevall said: "It has been difficult for the team. We send condolences to Beth after the loss of her mother. Having a team-mate who has been going through this, that has been taking a lot of energy for our team."