Listen free for 30 days

Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Unforgettable cover art

Unforgettable

By: Steve Thompson
Narrated by: Steve Thompson,Ben Cohen,Sir Clive Woodward,Colin Mace,Sir Ian McGeechan,Lewis Moody,Maria Armstrong,Paul Grayson,Andy Robinson
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £36.99

Buy Now for £36.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

My Name'5 Doddie cover art
Doddie's Diary cover art
The Art of Winning cover art
The Battle cover art
A Very Tall Story cover art
Flats and Durders Offload cover art
Loose Head cover art
The Extra Mile cover art
The Test cover art
Too Many Reasons to Live cover art
Ruck Me cover art
Approach With(out) Caution cover art
What a Flanker cover art
Fringes cover art
My Life and Rugby cover art
My Autobiography cover art

Summary

**Winner of the Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year Award 2023**

**Winner of the Rugby Book of the Year Award 2023**

**Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2022**

RUGBY, DEMENTIA AND THE FIGHT OF MY LIFE

In 2003, England won the Rugby World Cup. Steve Thompson was in England's front row, at the heart of the match, and at the heart of the scrum - one of sport's most violent battlegrounds.

But triumph came at a cost. Today, he remembers nothing about playing in that final. In his words, watching the tape back is like watching a ghost.

The years of hurt, and the culture of sucking up punishment and coming back for more, have taken a terrible toll. Steve has been diagnosed with early onset dementia, and serious progressive brain damage. Steve and his wife Steph had a happy family life planned, with decades ahead of them. Now he needs to capture these elusive memories for the sake of his children, before they disappear forever.

With stories contributed by his world-cup winning teammates and his former manager, Sir Clive Woodward, Unforgettable is raw, powerful storytelling. This tale of hope and courage stands as testament to the ultimate strength of the human mind - and to a man no longer pushing himself to the limit for competition, but for his own place in the world.

©2022 Steve Thompson (P)2022 Bonnier Books UK

Critic reviews

"As brave as they come." (Gareth Thomas)

"So powerful. This book might just change the way you think about sports forever." (Sir Clive Woodward)

What listeners say about Unforgettable

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    94
  • 4 Stars
    11
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    87
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    86
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very informative and hard hitting

Book was okay, the story i found fascinating and also heartbreaking. Steve narrating the book himself really adds a bit of oomph to it too, you can tell he is a down to eart joe soap that made it to the big time with rugby done anything any boy dreams of to have them now memories within other peoples heads and him having to start each day a new, struggling with simple tasks of daughters names and everyday chores. Good easy read but one where i wasn’t hooked i kept having to take a break and come back.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A must listen- honest and inciteful

Don't mind admitting some parts are a tough listen but also essential. Inspirational and yet heartbreaking.

Hearing Steve narrate his own story really brought up home.

essential for any rugby fan and sports fans in general.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Truly Unforgettable

This man is a legend of a ugly player & now likewise for writing this book.
It is thought provoking & sad but also very informative about the condition.
Highly recommend to everyone.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Heart broken and eyes wide open

I really am struggling to find the words to describe how this book made me feel.

it truly broke my heart and continues to break it for the lack of support and future ex current and future players of not only rugby but any sport that includes contact.

How are we so far advanced medically scientifically, and yet we are ignorning the glaringly obvious problem when it is being highlighted by so many.

I will be forever thankful for people like Steve, his family, and countless others that are continuing to highlight Dementia after seeing the effects firsthand through family. But atleast i can take peace from the fact that they were older it was more expected it wasnt down to them playing a sport they loved and being let down and neglected by the very governing bodies and structure that are there to protect them. All for what... ratings, publicity, and a fatter purse??

Accountability needs to be taken and measures put in place to help existing and future players stay safe and never be in the same position Steve and his family and many others find themselves in.

I loved the raw harsh honesty of the book and the accounts of others to add to the story, truly shows the impact you had on them too.

The book has truly opened my eyes to the ongoing issues that sports men and woman face not only on a day to day basis but long after the final ball is played too.

I will continue to follow the story and share my love for the book, hoping to raise further awareness.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thé book truly is unforgettable

Thought provoking and also makes you want to do something to raise the profile of cte and how contact sports can adapt to lesson the risks

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

INFORMATIVE, HEARTBREAKING YET HOPEFUL

This isn't an autobiography, more an illustration of avoidable damage to a young man's brain.
An honest account of the cost of playing a sport.
Showing how with the use of basic first aid and changes in attitudes, the rugby players both current and especially future may be saved, along with their families from a future that, in my experience, ends in a living death.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thank you

i have been involved in grass roots rugby for over 20 years, a nurse for over 30 and the mother of 2 rugby playing sons. i have seen the effects of concussion on rugby players and have been working for the last 10 + years trying to spread the word about the dangers of traumatic brain injury. Unions have started to take notice, but getting grassroots rugby club committees to understand that the game is not the same as when they played (pre 1995). i’m sorry you and your family are going through this but thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing this book and giving the cold hard facts that concussion needs to be taken serious. i have always explained that the brain is like a ripe peach in a jar, shake it up and it gets bruised. that’s what happens to the brain.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Unforgettable no pun intended.

Steve tells his story and his fight with dementia with eye opening honesty. He throws in some funny stuff but the message is clear, we need to do something about dementia and CTE in sports.

Well worth a listen / read it gripped me from start to finish.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Unforgettable and Incredible

I’ve never been so moved by a book.
I was hanging on his every word and feel deeply invested.
I realise how naive I was about dementia and applaud him for his bravery and courage.
I will be reading it again

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • LS
  • 29-10-22

A must read !

So much more than a book about rugby and the 2003 World Cup.
This is a heartwarming and equally heartbreaking book about one man’s story to help bring more awareness to the dangers of head trauma in sport. Highly recommended and an absolute must read for any parents of new rugby kids x

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

adbl_uk_web_target_buy_box_sale_test