Lionesses star Chloe Kelly has candidly revealed that she was diagnosed with alopecia last year after suffering from crippling anxiety which left her fearing a heart attack.

The 27-year-old, who captured the nation's attention at last summer's European Championships, has been open about her struggles in the past, particularly during the end of her Manchester City career. 

She left the north-west in January to return to Arsenal, claiming at the time that the 'negative behaviour' of some at City had a 'huge impact' on her mental wellbeing.

Now, nearly a year later, Kelly has heartbreakingly admitted that her anxiety became so severe that she didn't want to leave home. 

Speaking on Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast, the winger explained: 'I loved sitting in the dark and I was like, "This isn't okay." Just being by myself, quiet and sitting in the dark. It got to the point with my anxiety that I couldn't get off the bathroom floor because I was just being sick. 

'I tried taking the dogs for a walk, colouring in and it wasn't an eating disorder. It was a vicious cycle because I didn't want to feel anxious and I didn't want to throw up, but when I felt anxious I just needed to throw up. 

'There was one occasion where Scott (Moore) got me off the bathroom floor and put me in the hallway, just to stop me throwing up.' 

Kelly added that she began to notice her hair was falling out in the midst of her struggles, with a doctor eventually giving a diagnosis of alopecia. 

'I started losing my hair. I was like, "No, this isn't acceptable",' she continued. 'It carried on and I remember saying to Scott, "I feel like I've got a bald patch in my hair."

'I noticed then on the other side another bald patch and it was then that I thought I had alopecia. I went to the doctor at England and just said, "My hair's falling out but it's itching as well on my head." He sent me to some specialists and she was amazing and told me I had alopecia. 

'I was like, now I'm seeing the physical effects it (anxiety) is having on my body, not only mental. That was a tough time because you care about your appearance a lot and you want to feel confident. I remember my first game at Arsenal covering my bald patches.

'I had panic attacks and thought I was having a heart attack at times. When my hair was coming out, I remember questioning whether I can go fully bald. She was like, "it takes three months". 

'So for the next three months it was like waiting and seeing. Now, I look at my hair and it's grown back. I had my hair in a pony in the recent camp and my hair was growing outwards. Incredible things have happened since I made that step.'

Kelly joined Arsenal, where she rose through the youth ranks, on an initial loan deal last January before signing permanently in the summer following a successful six months in which she won the Champions League. 

And she pinpoints her move south back to London as a 'turning point' in her mental health struggles. 

'January was a real turning point for me, coming back to London and to a club I love in Arsenal,' she said. 

'I was in a really dark place and I was for a while to be honest. I struggled a lot, and I was riddled with anxiety and I didn't want to go out at any opportunity. Even going to the shops and Tesco.

'It was tough for me because I think I'm quite outgoing and, you come away from sport, and you're like this is affecting my mental health. A game I love so much is affecting me in so many other ways. 

'Being able to speak up in January and come back to London and find happiness, for me it was about taking a step away from the game.' 

It was announced last week that Kelly is part of a six-person shortlist for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award alongside Rory McIlroy, Lando Norris, Hannah Hampton, Luke Littler and England Rugby star Ellie Kildunne. 

The award will be presented on Thursday December 18, though Ryder Cup and Masters winner McIlroy heads into the evening as the bookies' favourite.