‘The steroids made me feel alone’: Southampton’s Amy Goddard on being diagnosed with Bell’s palsy

Guardian Sport

by Sarah Rendell

March 5, 2026

Centre-back opens up on the ‘petrifying’ time in 2021 when the left side of her face suddenly dropped as she wants to help others who are affected One day, in February 2021, Amy Goddard woke up and went for a run. On her return home she took a shower and then looked in the mirror before brushing her teeth. That is when she realised the left side of her face had dropped. Goddard, who was playing for Crystal Palace semi-professionally in the Championship at the time, went to the hospital and was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy. The illness, which she had not heard of until her diagnosis, causes sudden and typically temporary weakness or paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face. The condition affects one in 70 people in their lifetime in the UK. Goddard, who is now at WSL 2 side Southampton, says it was a “petrifying” time for her and that it not only affected her physically and mentally but also her football career. Continue reading...

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Originally published on Guardian Sport on 3/5/2026