Former Watford FC defender Clarke Carlisle has revealed he tried to take his own life by throwing himself in front of a lorry.

Carlisle, 35, was seriously injured and airlifted to a hospital in Leeds after a collision with a lorry on the A46 in December.

But in an interview with The Sun newspaper, Carlisle said he had been left severely depressed by the end of his football career, financial problems and the loss of a television punditry role.

He said: “I had to die.

“This wasn’t escaping or running away. This was the perfect answer. It made everyone happy and it ticked every box.”

The former Professional Footballers' Association chairman was hit by the lorry in Yorkshire two days after he was charged with failing to provide a sample when stopped on suspicion of drink-driving.

He said he had sat in the police cell and decided he could not let his children “have a criminal father”.

Having played for Blackpool, Queens Park Rangers and Leeds United, Carlisle joined the Hornets in 2005 and was a key figure in Aidy Boothroyd's side that won promotion to the Premier League after play-off final success in Cardiff.

The 35-year-old left hospital on 30 January, six weeks after being struck in North Yorkshire.

Clarke’s wife, Gemma tweeted last night: “Suicide and depression is not selfish. It is a serious illness where your world and reality are warped.

“We send our love and thoughts to the lorry driver and family. It could have been anyone and Clarke is desperately sorry that it was him.

“Please, if anyone is suffering, know that it will get better. I can promise you that. Reach out to someone, anyone. You are not alone.”

Although the former Hornets centre-half did not feature in the play-offs, he made 32 appearances in the 2005/06 campaign, scoring three league goals.

Carlisle made just four Premier League appearances for Watford the following season and joined rivals Luton Town later that season, before making a permanent switch to Burnley in the summer of 2007.