Former England footballing legend Paul Gascoigne has spoken out about his life took another dramatic turn for the worse.
The 49-year-old has had a history of battling alcoholism and while it has sent him spiralling to some of the lowest points of his life, it had seemed recently that he was starting to beat the demons.
It seems though that he gave in to an offer of cocaine and, once again, he fell off the wagon and he was once again hospitalised after another ‘bender’.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Gazza opened up about the night at a Bournemouth hotel where he took to booze again and ended up shocking fellow guests by talking about drugs with them.
He admits that after drinking a bottle of gin in his hotel room, after feeling “down”, and says that he doesn’t know what else happened that evening.
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Gazza said: “If I spoke to anyone about cocaine I regret it. If anything happened I regret it.”
The footie star was allegedly seen receiving the drug from a stranger and he admits that it was a bad decision.
“I had a blip and I ended up in hospital on two drips.
“I took myself to hospital because I knew I had messed up. I’d done myself some damage with the gin.”
It seems that it was the death of nephew Jay Kerrigan, 22, that kick-started the latest binge.
He apparently drank for two days after a trip to see family in Newcastle and on return to London, felt a massive comedown.
Instead of attending the England versus Scotland World Cup qualifying match at Wembley, he was seen crying on the shoulder of his stepdaughter Bianca, outside the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, West London.
He told The Sun on Sunday: “I get a buzz when I go up there but felt down afterwards and I let things get on top of me.
“I had a couple of miniatures of gin and drank them on the train. I didn’t think of the consequences.
“I was nervous when I saw Bianca, and I hadn’t seen her for a while. The reason I cried is because I’d had my first mouthful of booze for ages and knew I had messed up.
“I didn’t make it to the game. I knew if I went to the match I would have got emotional because of the goal I scored 20 years ago.
“So I went up to my room and ordered room service. We chatted and she went home. The next day I texted Bianca and apologised.”
Gazza returned to the south coast but couldn’t get into his Poole home as he lost his bag and house keys. He decided to check into a hotel in Bournemouth instead.
Gazza explained: “I went to the Royal Bath because I know the people there and knew I could stay.
“I went into the hotel room with a bottle of gin and drank that and went downstairs. I sat next to an old couple talking about fishing for about an hour — and then people started offering me drinks.
“It’s not right but not everyone knows I am an alcoholic and some of them are doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.”
Ever popular Gazza got into conversation with a group in the hotel bar.
He said: “They were being nice to me and asked for a selfie and bought me a drink.
“After about an hour I went to the toilet and the next thing I remember these four guys asked me if I wanted some cocaine.
“The last time I had it was 16 years ago and I got sectioned and wanted to die from the paranoia.
“For these four guys to offer me cocaine and drink was disgusting. I wanted to hit one of them. I was leaning over the toilet because I was being sick. I am an alcoholic and it is my fault, but luckily I knew I had to stop.
“I f***ing hate being an alcoholic. It is horrible especially as I used to love the pub on a Sunday with the lads and playing dominoes.”
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Paul decided to get home and sleep off the effects of the drinking session.
He said: “I tried to go cold turkey but was at home for a day and a half with the shakes. I realised I wasn’t getting any better. So I went to A&E and Poole Hospital were fantastic.”
He was put on a saline drip and a vitamin and water drip as doctors monitored his condition.
Gazza admitted: “I had a blip but am fine now. I am healthy and handsome and look like Don Johnson again.”