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Hep C and me 'I was nauseous all the time. I couldn’t gain weight. My skin was itchy and raw'

Ireland can be Hep C free starting from today, writes Patrick Gallagher.

WHEN I WAS diagnosed with Hepatitis C in the 1990s I was told I’d loads of more serious problems I had to deal with first. I remember getting the result and the doctor turning to me and saying, Patrick, it’ll kill you in 30 years so don’t worry about it.

I was using drugs. I’d washed up to an addiction service, exhausted from the drugs, exhausted from the chaos of it all. I was tested. I was given advice that at the time that somehow made sense.

Thirty years? The doctor was right. That was light years away. For me, back then, 4.30 in the afternoon was light years away, never mind three decades down the road.

Silently attacking my liver

So I didn’t worry about it. I didn’t think that I had to do something about this virus that was inside of me. This virus that was silently attacking my liver over years and years.
But then the reality of Hepatitis C hit me. I got sober and I got sick.

Or maybe I just realised how sick I actually was all along, and how debilitating and devastating the virus actually was. I should have been worried. I had other problems to sort out, but Hepatitis C was definitely one of them.

I was diagnosed with moderate liver disease. I’d hate to think what chronic liver disease would feel like. I could barely get out of bed. I was nauseous all the time. I was constantly getting secondary infections. I couldn’t gain weight. My skin was itchy and raw.

I finally started treatment

I look back now and realise how lucky I was that I finally started treatment for the virus. When I say my life has been revolutionised since I walked into that clinic and took my first tablet for the virus it’s no exaggeration.

I’m working, teaching every day. Yesterday I got up at 7am, went to work and came home at 7.30pm after a heavy programme of tutorials, meetings and project corrections.

With Hepatitis C this would have been unthinkable. But now that I’m free of the virus, yesterday I could watch the telly after I came home and feel normal. Feel like everyone else. Feel like I can get up tomorrow and do it all over again.

And that’s when I think, why are we still accepting the fact that people are still living with this virus?

A virus that is almost 100% curable

Hepatitis C was only recognised in 1989 but now, it’s a virus that is almost 100% curable. That’s quite remarkable. There are many other illnesses and viruses that we have not conquered in this same way.

So Hepatitis C shouldn’t really even be an issue anymore. And yet, thousands are walking around our streets today with this virus. In Ireland, estimates are that between 20,000 and 30,000 people are infected. I was at a seminar during the week where a renowned doctor said that this number could be pushed up by at least another 10,000 people who have come into the country with the virus.

So, conservatively, we have 30,000 with the disease. And we have treated 2,000 with another 1,000 on the waiting list over the past few years. My question is where are the other 27,000? Why aren’t we treating these people as a matter of urgency?

I was once marginalised

I’ll tell you why. Because many of them are people who inject drugs, or who have a history of injecting drugs. And a significant number are people who are homeless. The politically correct among us call these people the marginalised. I was once one of the marginalised.

But the thing we forget with our nice labelling is that the marginalised are people too. And the marginalised have friends and communities, people they trust.

When I was using drugs I had three very close friends. Contrary to stereotypes we were actually quite normal ‘marginalised’. We had jobs. We still have jobs. Marginalised people are not just people going nowhere.

Life may be chaotic, but life is not worthless. To find these 27,000 people and to eliminate Hepatitis C from Ireland – something that’s very doable – we have to not just treat people for the virus, we have to seek them and then treat them.

We have to take the diagnosis and treatment of Hepatitis C out of hospitals and into our communities to where those most likely to be infected live, visit, go for support, go for clean needles, go for methadone.

Nobody knew about Hepatitis C in the 1980s and 1990s. That’s still not an excuse for my choosing to take a doctor’s ill-advice when I was first diagnosed. But we do know about it now. We know that it can be cured. And we know it can be eliminated. So what are we waiting for? Ireland can be Hep C free starting from today.

Patrick Gallagher spoke at an international seminar during the week called A Vision of Elimination: Stop Hepatitis C, organised by the Hepatitis C Partnership.

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18 Comments
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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Oct 9th 2019, 1:19 PM

    it so hard being the wife of multi millionaire footballers these days..especially in the world of social media….thank heavens we still have quality journalism to keep us all informed of the dramatic distractions …i mean… events….of such national importance.

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    Mute Stevie Doran
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    Oct 9th 2019, 1:35 PM

    @Dave Hammond: Rebekah’s reply was: “I can’t believe this…I’m pregnant and on holiday”

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    Mute John Considine
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    Oct 9th 2019, 1:40 PM

    @Dave Hammond: The best part is we exist in a post phone-hacking world and yet the first assumption, at least by Coleen and the vast majority, is still that this information was “legitimately” obtained by the Sun…

    On a completely unrelated note, I have this inheritance money from my Botswanan Great-Aunt and I just need some help moving it into the country…

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    Mute Mark o' Leary
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:29 PM

    @John Considine: what you need is a shyster, plenty of them in Ireland.

    18
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    Mute Aonghus OReilly
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    Oct 9th 2019, 3:10 PM

    @John Considine: No way John. We most be cousins as I too have the same aunt! If you, and any other long lost cousins out there want to send me €500 each, to cover admin expenses, I’ll organise a family reunion??

    32
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    Mute lunadoran
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    Oct 9th 2019, 3:58 PM

    @Dave Hammond: the funny thing is that these stories always get waaaay more views than any others. We must be all wag fans….

    18
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    Mute Ananya Sharma
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    Oct 9th 2019, 5:28 PM

    @John Considine: Of all the African countries you could have chose you picked the least corrupt. Also your Aunt is Motswana.

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    Mute Norman Cult
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    Oct 10th 2019, 7:06 AM

    @Stevie Doran: she shouldn’t be flying if shes that heavily pregnant

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    Mute Smidgen Dublin
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    Oct 9th 2019, 1:20 PM

    I had to ‘google’ who is Rebekah Vardy and despite that this is one of the best stories I’ve this year. People are calling Rooney WAGatha Christie on Twitter.

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    Mute Chewey Bacca
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:45 PM

    @Smidgen Dublin: she’s the partner of one of my key fantasy football strikers and good value goal goat Jamie Vardy. So when you read about a WAG it’s their partner who is famous. No need to google really.

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    Mute Smidgen Dublin
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:53 PM

    @Chewey Bacca: I foudn that out through google. No need to reply and explain. Really.

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    Mute Chewey Bacca
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    Oct 9th 2019, 3:08 PM

    @Smidgen Dublin: please remove yourself from google and the internet. People are commuting to pay their carbon tax reading your nonsense. Suggest you post something on the Turkey Kurds story.

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    Mute Smidgen Dublin
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    Oct 9th 2019, 3:26 PM

    @Chewey Bacca: please remove yourself from google and the internet. People are commuting to pay their carbon tax reading your nonsense. Suggest you post something on the Turkey Kurds story.

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    Mute Joe Shea
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    Oct 9th 2019, 1:29 PM

    Sc#mBag Newspaper!!!!

    151
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    Mute Michael Geraghty Bodycoach
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    Oct 9th 2019, 1:45 PM

    I wasted 2 minutes of my life reading this story…

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    Mute Cowboy Paddy
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    Oct 9th 2019, 3:38 PM

    @Michael Geraghty Bodycoach:
    Really??? Now you can understand Brexit….

    23
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    Mute Cowboy Paddy
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    Oct 9th 2019, 3:35 PM

    Can’t believe the Rooney’s basement didn’t flood… I was so certain…

    I feel betrayed now…

    113
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    Mute Aunties
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    Oct 9th 2019, 3:41 PM

    @Cowboy Paddy: hahaha same

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    Mute Bill Liffin
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:05 PM

    My American cousin once asked politely… Why do all English footballers seem thick?
    Hope he is not reading this!

    82
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    Mute Vin
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:12 PM

    Can I suggest bikini mud wrestling? No.

    76
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    Mute shellakybooky
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    Oct 9th 2019, 10:42 PM

    @Vin: solves everything!

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    Mute Alan Brazil
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    Oct 9th 2019, 1:45 PM

    This is not sports news, must be a slow day, this belongs in the gossip page

    60
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    Mute David Clarke
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    Oct 9th 2019, 1:18 PM

    Chat s**t, get banged

    191
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    Mute 2thFairy
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    Oct 9th 2019, 1:27 PM

    Classy.

    33
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    Mute Gowon Geter
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:35 PM

    Oh I put stuff online and somehow other people saw it . I wonder how duh !!

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    Mute Jonny
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    Oct 9th 2019, 1:50 PM

    Why is this thrash even news Jesus wept, keep this for glossy women’s mags, mainstream media outlets are becoming progressively worse all the time, there was a time when nonsense like this would have been frowned upon now the dumbed down generation lap it up.. Sad

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    Mute David
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:46 PM

    @Jonny: or you could always just mind your own business.

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    Mute Thunder Snowman
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    Oct 9th 2019, 8:37 PM

    @Jonny: Yet it’s at the top of the most popular stories clicked on.

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    Mute Jonny
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    Oct 10th 2019, 11:11 AM

    @David: there’s always one.. Dear me

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    Mute Jonny
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    Oct 10th 2019, 11:12 AM

    @Thunder Snowman: yeah women and millenials

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    Mute Fergus O'Connor
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    Oct 9th 2019, 1:23 PM

    Self proclaimed Liverpool fan selling stories to the S#n. Disgusting.

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    Mute Jodi
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    Oct 10th 2019, 9:09 AM

    @Fergus O’Connor: You are assuming she did it, and that she wasn’t hacked. No true Liverpudlian would deal with the Sun, even if she detested Rooney, which it doesn’t seem like she does…

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    Mute Paul Shepherd
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:39 PM

    Who gives a s*it?!!

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    Mute Noel O Sullivan
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    Oct 9th 2019, 4:14 PM

    Mrs vardy has said that she did not need the money which sounds plausible enough but the sun may have had info on her. The sun and its readers are the bad guys here

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    Mute Shameless McFly™
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    Oct 9th 2019, 6:10 PM

    @Noel O Sullivan: nail on the head. The sh*trag wouldn’t exist if the knuckledraggers didn’t buy it. That’s who I blame.

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    Mute Seriously stunned
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    Oct 9th 2019, 1:53 PM

    Rebekah if its any consolation you are my no strings.

    29
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    Mute Martin
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:39 PM

    #Dontbuythesun #totaleclipseofthesun

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    Mute Brysonpieters
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:52 PM

    2 clowns

    26
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    Mute Aunties
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:21 PM

    I think I’ll take Vardy out of my Fantasy football team now . And he great fixtures coming up…. flip

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    Mute Gerry Campbell
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:09 PM

    Cute move ,i like it….

    17
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    Mute Kieran Stafford
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:27 PM

    Rebekah Vardy should ask for an extension on the friendship like Boris

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    Mute Green Lentils
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:18 PM

    How about learning some decorum and not sharing anything on any digital medium and keeping your cake hole shut about your short and pathetic life, love.

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    Mute Marty from Sligo
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    Oct 9th 2019, 1:43 PM

    You have to be careful how you speak and treat your family and friends. I heard of relatives and friends that dont speak after years of friendship.

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    Mute Alan McDonald
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:59 PM

    Wealthy women gasbagging. News.

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    Mute Thefallguy
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    Oct 9th 2019, 3:56 PM

    When I seen John Duggan retweet it, I taught to myself. Is this where we’re at now!!

    11
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    Mute Ken MacEoin
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:44 PM

    Conal thomas. Get a real job man. This has nothing to do with sport. You’re a very sad man

    12
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    Mute dick dastardly
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    Oct 9th 2019, 6:11 PM

    A battle of their fake t*ts will sort this out.rooney playing around again

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    Mute Briscoe Sundara
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    Oct 9th 2019, 6:39 PM

    It must be great to have the time

    4
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    Mute Jason Fogarty
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    Oct 9th 2019, 10:12 PM

    It’s funny if you go through the female sports articles on the 42 there’s zero comments in the comments section but two wags fighting and the comments section goes into melt down lol

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    Mute Suzanne Bell
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    Oct 11th 2019, 7:34 AM

    @Jason Fogarty: and the funnier thing is, the majority of comments are from men

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    Mute Jason Fogarty
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    Oct 11th 2019, 7:51 AM

    @Suzanne Bell: I know they should be ashamed for bringing themselves into disrepute lol

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    Mute Ian Hoey
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    Oct 9th 2019, 5:55 PM

    Who is Coleen Rooney??
    #buythesun

    5
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    Mute Rob Kennedy
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    Oct 9th 2019, 7:26 PM

    This will send Wayne over the edge….any granny hookers in the vicinity are in the crosshairs.

    12
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    Mute sinead foley-coleman
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    Oct 9th 2019, 7:23 PM

    Maybe Boris could mediate for them… he’s mighty at negotiating

    3
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    Mute Ian Hoey
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    Oct 9th 2019, 5:54 PM

    Who is Colleen Rooney??
    #buythesun

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    Mute Noel Kelleher
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    Oct 9th 2019, 2:39 PM

    I don’t blame anyone only you Conal .. RUBBISH ..

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    Mute Roy O' Brien
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    Oct 10th 2019, 9:16 AM

    She is no friend

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    Mute Martin Quinn
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    Oct 9th 2019, 10:10 PM

    To the 42 ::what the hell is this doing on the 42::you are about “”SPORT “” not this sh#t for GOD sack have some pride for your NAME

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    Mute Richard Carroll
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    Oct 10th 2019, 1:31 PM

    Coleen Rooney better have all her ducks in a row, otherwise she may will be on the receiving end of a Libel action me thinks.

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    Mute Aaron Jones
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    Oct 10th 2019, 10:43 AM

    I honestly couldn’t give a s##t,when your famous and have a social media account your private life is over,plus without having proper prove Coleen could be sued for slander etc!

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