Paul Gascoigne, the Newcastle United, Tottenham and England legend, appeared on Good Morning Britain on Monday, stating that “life’s good” as he promoted his new book, Eight. When quizzed by Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid about his wellbeing, the 58 year old responded: “Yeah I’m good. Life’s good at the moment.”
The conversation then shifted to Gazza’s ongoing struggle with alcohol addiction, with Madeley asking how he behaves when under the influence. Gascoigne admitted: “Nightmare. I used to be alright, I used to be a happy drunk but now I’m quite a sad drunk really, to be fair. Drink doesn’t go with me any more. But I can go months and months without, and then I’ll have a two-day blip, and then the consequences…I don’t like myself for a few days. I just get miserable.
“And then all of a sudden I got to an AA [Alcoholics Anonymous] meeting and just listened. You wonder what it is you, know? It wasn’t until I first went to the AA meetings that I realised I am an alcoholic, unfortunately.”
When Reid further questioned him about the nature of alcoholism and its seeming invincibility, Gascoigne added: “Yeah, I’m a bit like that myself. I think I’m ignorant to myself. I always think I’ll be alright having one, and sometimes it does work. I’ll just have a couple and leave it. And then maybe a month down the line, I’ll just hit it for two days.
“You know, I used to drink for weeks on end, but now it’s only a couple of days blip. But that’s enough for me really.” When questioned whether giving up alcohol completely was impossible, Gazza responded: “Not really. I’ve done five years, I’ve done four years. It’s like anything else.
“If you’re sit in the barbers long enough you’re going to get a haircut. I did this book, number Eight just to try and help others. It’s not about football, it’s just like what I’ve put myself through. I just know number Eight was alright for me when I played football and not alright when I hit the drink.”
In his latest book, Gazza recounts a shocking incident where he struck a pedestrian with his vehicle whilst he and a mate were giving some girls a lift home. Speaking in his memoir, which has been serialised by the Daily Mail, Gascoigne revealed: “I soon became the hottest property in football with every club in the country wanting me, despite my daft antics off the pitch.
“My partner in crime was often my best mate Jimmy Gardiner, or Jimmy Five Bellies as I nicknamed him because he was the same height as me but about 30 stone heavier. The first time I got into trouble with the police was when Jimmy persuaded me to give some girls a lift home in my Mini, even though I still hadn’t got my licence.
“I ended up knocking over this guy as he crossed the road in front of me. I stopped the car, rushed over and I could see he was moving – I hadn’t killed him, at least. But then I just panicked and drove off. I mustn’t have been thinking straight and was also terrified of getting into trouble with Newcastle United. I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I got a snooker cue and I smashed the windows of my car in, thinking I would pretend someone else had been driving it.
“But that didn’t wash with the police when they tracked me down. Me and Jimmy had to go to court over that. We were fined and given points on our licences, even though I didn’t have one yet.”