Former England and Tottenham midfielder Paul Gascoigne has left fans heartbroken after admitting that he still drinks alcohol during an emotional interview with ITV breakfast show Good Morning Britain.
Gascoigne, 58, has publicly battled alcohol addiction and mental health problems since retiring more than 20 years ago.
In his new book ‘Eight’, Gazza opens up about his personal battle with alcoholism and his continuing attempts to stay sober.
On Monday morning, cutting an emotional figure, he appeared on GMB in order to promote the autobiography, looking to inspire fellow sufferers of addiction to get help.
However, during the candid 10-minute interview with hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley, Gazza admitted that he still hits the drink on occasion and has had to rejoin Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
‘I can go months and months without bothering and then have a two-day blip and then the consequences,’ said Gascoigne. ‘And then I don’t like myself for a few days.
‘I just get miserable and then have to go to an AA meeting and just listen because you wonder what it is. It wasn’t until I first went to AA meetings that I realised I was an alcoholic.’
Gascoigne appeared close to tears on several occasions when delving into his past trauma, and viewers were left both saddened and appalled that he was allowed to go on the show while in a vulnerable state.
One X user wrote: ‘This interview with Gazza on Good Morning Britain is terrible. He’s been on the verge of breaking down several times. I really feel for him, but why have him on to talk about his heartbreak when he obviously can’t cope talking about it. Hope he will be ok. He’s a legend.’
Another proclaimed that watching the interview ‘has broken my heart’; however, they made sure to praise both Reid and Madeley for how they managed such an emotional interview.
‘@GMB this interview with Gazza has broken my heart,’ the user started. ‘Absolutely incredible. Conducted with such empathy and understanding without being patronising. What an amazing bloke. Well done.’
Gascoigne was England’s golden boy during the 1990s, regarded as one of the most talented players of his generation. He helped the Three Lions reach both a World Cup and European Championship semi-final during his best years, but his battle with alcohol and drug addiction, even during his playing days, soon defined him.
Now, after attempting to go cold turkey, Gazza has acknowledged that he is ‘ignorant’ when it comes to alcohol, but when asked if he finds it ‘impossible’ to give up, he gave a poignant analogy.
‘Not really, I’ve done five years and four years [of trying to stop the booze],’ he continued. ‘It’s like anything else; if you sit in the barbers for long enough, you’re going to get a haircut.
‘I did this book, Number Eight, to try and help others. It’s nothing about football; it’s what I put myself through.’
In 2015, Gascoigne was awarded £188,250 in damages after it was found that Mirror Group journalists has hacked his phone for a period of 10 years.
When reflecting on this period of his life, and the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) he now has, Gascoigne became increasingly close to breaking down.
When broaching the subject of how the hacking affected the relationship between him and his parents, he had to pause to hold back the tears.
‘That came on with the drugs when I first tried it, and then I had the problem,’ he added. ‘It was only because of the phone hacking, I fell out with my mum and dad for three months, and that destroyed us.
‘Then, because of the hacking, I took the drugs, and then my dad sectioned me for 11 days – I was 22 – the undercover coppers. Then afterwards, I was alright after that.
‘The only person I spoke to was my mum and dad and it kept on coming out in the newspapers, so I fell out with them. I ended up having six mobile phones and still using the phone box outside.
‘I was thinking, “Mum and dad, what the f*** are you doing?” Sorry for the language. “Why are you speaking to the papers?” That destroyed us, the drugs had took hold of us, and it was only until my dad got me sectioned, which was the best thing that has ever happened to us.’
Another moment of trauma that clearly affected Gascoigne during both the interview and his life in general was an incident that occurred when he was just a child.
At 10 years old, his friend’s younger brother, whom he was looking after, passed away in his arms after being struck by a car. Recalling the harrowing moment, Gazza explained how it had a profound impact on his life.
‘His younger brother wouldn’t go to the boys’ club, and I said I’d look after him. He was only eight and I was 10,’ detailed Gascoigne. ‘We left the shop and I said, “Quick, come on, run, let’s go”. He ran in front of us one yard, and the car just hit him.
‘I ran down and he died in my lap. I thought he was still alive because his lips moved a bit. I went, “He’s ok, he’s breathing,” but he wasn’t. That was his last movement.
‘I picked him up out of the coffin at only 10, and I remember him being freezing. When the coffin left, I went and stayed with them again, in that same room for a week. I was only 10, and I was staying in the same room with a coffin; it was horrific.
‘I ended up with noises and twitches, and I said I refused to go and see him any more. It wasn’t until I really started getting involved with football that it started getting my mind off of everything.’
The distressing experience led Gascoigne to the football pitch, with football, which he misses ‘badly’ now, providing him with an escape.
He finished: ‘I really started getting involved with football, that took my mind away from everything. I was upset. I went every night. I took a ball with us. I slept with the football.
‘Playing the game took you out of this nightmare. I couldn’t wait for Saturday because when I was on the pitch, where I think I was so good, those 90 minutes were my time on the pitch.’
