Paul Gascoigne to feature on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories

November 4, 2011   ·   1 Comments

Legendary footballer Paul Gascoigne reveals the truth behind the headlines in one of his most candid interviews in ITV1′s Piers Morgan’s Life Stories on Saturday 12 November.

Charting his meteoric rise in the world of football, the player often regarded as one of the most talented of his generation also reveals all about his public fight with alcoholism. Now 11 months clean, Gazza admits how a specialist treatment clinic in Bournemouth (The Providence Projects) has helped him turn his life around.

Talking about his chequered past, the footballer reflects how his family’s reaction to his attempted intervention in the police negotiations with gunman Raoul Moat’s back in July lead to his decision to get help.  The footballing great also opens the lid on his turbulent private life and his hopes and goals for the future.

Speaking to Piers about his current treatment, Gazza said “I’ve done everything different this time. I always said I’m never going to drink again, and I put myself under so much pressure and I thought I may as well drink. After three or four weeks I have a drink and I get nailed by the press.”

A colourful character on and off the pitch, Gazza admits the demons set in when his football career was coming to an end.

Gazza said, “Football is what I lived for. It was what I woke up for, and that was gone. It was taken away and you think ‘oh shit what now?”

He continues, “All of a sudden, boom you’re finished ‘shit what do I do now’ you know? My solution was drink and I did take cocaine, I admit it. The phone calls I made were unbelievable. I remember my dad I said ‘get your stuff ready we’re going to Madison Square Garden’s we’ve got to play President Clinton and Bush at chess’, and I rung him up again ‘dad it’s OK, Bush is at Kings Cross he’s making his way now’ and I honestly believed it.

“I think the worst one was when I went four months without even water, four bottles of whisky a day, I think I went to about nine stone or something. I took two bottles of whisky to stop the shakes. When I went to a treatment centre it took us three weeks to start drinking water. I was so scared I thought water was going to kill us.”

Talking about his road to recovery, Paul admits that his current stint in therapy has helped him “learn to love (himself) again.”

He continues, “I can actually have more fun without drink that I can with…I’m happier now (for the first time) since I’ve packed in football.”

Piers Morgan’s Life Stories – Paul Gascoigne is on ITV1 on Saturday 12 November at 9.45pm. 

Tags: Gazza, ITV1, Paul Gascoigne, Piers Morgan, Piers Morgan's Life Stories