Liz McColgan to escape Scotland ‘goldfish bowl’

FORMER athlete Liz ­McColgan is fleeing Scotland for a new life in England after a ­series of personal calamities.

The holder of Olympic and Commonwealth Games medals at 10,000 metres can no longer face the “finger pointing” she ­encounters each day in the street.

The 48-year-old from Carnoustie has recently been divorced, held in a police cell over an alleged assault on her husband and watched as her business collapsed with debts of £820,000.

Now, she is moving from her home to the anonymity of Loughborough, in Leicestershire, to be with her new partner, former Olympic athlete John Nuttall, 46.

Fifteen months ago, McColgan found herself in court, falsely accused of assaulting her estranged husband, and former manager, Peter.

She was found not guilty, but the episode left her deeply ­embarrassed.

McColgan, a mother of five, said of her arrest over the assault allegation: “There was no need for it to go that far.

“I just found the whole episode extremely embarrassing and not what I want to be remembered for.

“Now, I feel that everyone knows my business and that I can’t walk down the street without finger pointing.’

She added: “I absolutely love Scotland and I’m still very loyal to my country.

“But since my marriage broke down, I feel like I’ve been in a goldfish bowl, with my dirty washing being aired in public and that hasn’t been easy for me at all. It’s time to move on.”

McColgan won 10,000m gold at the 1986 and 1990 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh and Auckland, as well as silver at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.

Her divorce agreement was finally signed last week. The former track star added: “The past few years have been very tough.

“I felt as if I lost my identity for a while because of everything that has been thrown at me ­during the marriage break-up. Now I’ve decided I’m sick of looking back all the time and I realise it’s time to follow a new path.”

The Liz McColgan Health Club and Physiotherapy Centre, based in the family home, went bust last year owing about £820,000.

Now she plans to open a new health club in Loughborough, hundreds of miles away from her current home.

McColgan said: “Now I just want to go somewhere where I am less recognisable and able to live my life without everyone knowing my personal business.”

And she admitted: “I want to be able to finally relax and be myself and go back to concentrating on ­coaching.”