Former footballer Clarke Carlisle found safe after missing persons appeal

The former Burnley defender Clarke Carlisle has been found safe after earlier going missing, police have said.

Lancashire Police announced on Twitter that the 37-year-old was found in Liverpool and thanked the general public for widely sharing a missing persons appeal.

“Great news folks. Clarke Carlisle has been found safe in Liverpool,” the force tweeted. “Thanks to everyone who shared our appeal. Have a good weekend.”

His wife Carrie, who is six months pregnant, also thanked those who had looked for her partner.

“Clarke has been found,” she wrote on her Twitter page.

“Due to you all who have so kindly looked for him and shared that he was missing.

“We all owe you a debt of gratitude.”

Reports of Carlisle’s disappearance first began to spread on social media on Friday morning, with the former footballer last being seen by a family member in Preston on Thursday afternoon.

Lancashire Police later said that Carlisle was last seen by a family member on the Flag Market in Preston at 2.30pm on Thursday afternoon.

“Clarke’s last known whereabouts was Manchester City Centre at 6am [on Friday],” his wife Carrie tweeted.

His former wife Gemma added: “Last seen in Manchester area, please keep eyes open if you know or see anything. Contact police, [Carrie] or even myself.”

Carlisle has a history of mental illness and has twice attempted to take his own life: once in his early twenties and once again a decade later, in December 2014.

The former Professional Footballers' Association chairman has battled depression, alcoholism and gambling addiction and has worked to raise awareness of mental health issues.

In an interview last summer, Carlisle said the worst of his mental health problems were behind him after years of pain.

“Once you start to manage mental health, it doesn’t mean you are immediately cured,” he told the Guardian. “There are some people who go through a bout of depression and never suffer again but my diagnosis is a recurrent complex depressive disorder.

“It will come back from time to time. When that happens, I now have a toolkit to deal with that. My self-awareness is raised to a level where I can see certain signs that a depressive episode is about to come on me. When that happens I know what to do to manage the situation.”