Anton Ferdinand 'wanted to hurt' John Terry but his mum stepped in as fury took over

Former star Anton Ferdinand was overcome with rage when he learned that he was racially abused by 's John Terry in 2011 - with the only thing stopping the defender from confronting his rival being his mother.

The defender spoke at length about the aftermath of the incident in a documentary with the BBC, having remained 'silent' throughout the ordeal and leaving the Football Association (FA) to charge Terry.

Ferdinand struggled in the years that followed but is since looking to help the next generation overcome racism. He is also looking to make his mark in a different sphere, being one of the contestants to make it through to the Dancing On Ice final on Sunday night.

The ex-England Under-21 has kept a low profile since retiring whilst at St Mirren in July 2019, with the incident with Terry truly leaving a mark on his career and performances.

Speaking on in 2020, the 40-year-old spoke about how he only realised that he had been racially abused after his QPR side had beaten nine-man Chelsea at Loftus Road - with Heidar Helguson scoring the winner.

He explained that TV cameras had shown Terry appear to use racially abusive language towards him after they had argued over a decision, which he was then shown by his wife on her phone. He said: "I was buzzing - we've just beaten Chelsea. I'm looking at the phone and rage just came over me," he says. "You know when your blood boils - it just hit me. I wanted to go and hurt him."

Ferdinand's mother was there when he saw the footage and insisted that he should not confront Terry, despite his frustrations. "She was the only person that could have stopped me," he added. "She said: 'I know what you want to do, but now's not the time.'"

A member of the public complained about the incident to the police and in December 2011 it was announced that Terry would face a criminal charge of using racist language. In July 2012, the Chelsea star was cleared by a court of law after he insisted that he was repeating language that he thought Ferdinand had used.

The FA saw the matter differently though and found Terry to be guilty of using racially abusive language just two years later. He was fined £220,000 and banned for four matches by the FA.

Ferdinand opted against 'speaking out' while the case was being dealt with, feeling that although it went against his morals, he wanted the matter 'left in the hands of the powers that be'. He went on to spend time playing in Turkey before returning to the United Kingdom for stints with Reading, Southend United and St Mirren.