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Footie legend Paul Gascoigne admits he’s back on the booze after battle with alcoholism

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TROUBLED football legend Paul Gascoigne has admitted he is back on the booze.

Despite a long-running battle with alcoholism, which led to having stomach implants to stop him drinking, the former England star has revealed he now drinks beer and wine.

Footie legend Paul Gascoigne admits he’s back on the booze after a long-running battle with alcoholism

But in an exclusive interview with The Sun ahead of his stint on Italy’s version of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!, the footie icon insists he can stay in control of his boozing.

Paul, 53, says: “I’ll always be an alcoholic, but now I can have a couple of glasses of wine — and I have a few beers. Not every day, but when I want to.

“I only ever drink when . . . well, put it this way — if I want a drink I’ll have a drink. If I don’t want one I’ll just leave it, which is not the right thing, but I’ve been like that for ages.

“I don’t trust spirits so I keep away from them, but I’m on top of things at the moment. I’m enjoying life.”

biancagascoigne1/Instagram
Paul adopted Bianca, 34, when he was with ex-wife Sheryl[/caption]

The former midfielder’s battle with the bottle and his lurch from crisis to crisis has caused an outpouring of public support over the years as well as interventions from several big names in the football world.

In 2009 he was rejected from ITV’s I’m A Celebrity when he failed the show’s psychiatric tests — and he now reveals the experience made him so angry that he has refused to work with the channel in future.
Paul hopes appearing on the Italian version will prove he is in a “good place”.

Speaking from a hotel in Milan in isolation ahead of the series, which is filmed in Honduras, Central America, Paul says: “I just want to give this a go and be myself. I did interviews for I’m A Celebrity in the UK but they pre-judged me.

“They wanted to sign me for the show, but when it came to speaking to the psychiatrist they really p***ed me off.

“She asked me, ‘Why do you want to do the show?’ and I said ‘I want people to see the real Paul Gascoigne’.

“But she said, ‘People don’t want to see that, they want to see you in arguments’.

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Alan Shearer and Paul Gascoigne hug after a goal against Scotland[/caption]

“That really p***ed me off. I wasn’t happy about that. And the questions she asked me were ridiculous.

“She was asking me if I knew where I was, and I said London, and ‘whereabouts, what can you see?’.

“I’m not dealing with stupid questions like that.

“Considering some of the people they’ve had on these shows, that girl from EastEnders, Danniella Westbrook, and people like Katie Price, I just thought, ‘If they think they can go in but they don’t think I can, I’m out anyway’.

A three-year stint in Rome with Lazio during the ’90s made Gazza a household name in Italy

“I even took one of my anti-drinking sponsors along, and they agreed with me, so I left it.

“The people at that show weren’t normal. It was ridiculous. I don’t want anything to do with them.”

Prior to his abortive attempt to appear on I’m A Celeb, Paul was due to star on Strictly’s ice dance Christmas special in 2004 but had to pull out after an injury at his third training session.

He recalls: “I fell over and broke something in my neck.

“David Seaman re-placed me and ended up marrying an ice dancer (Frankie Poultney, who he later met on Dancing On Ice). He’s not daft, is he?”

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Paul Gascoigne is currently in isolation at a hotel in Milan[/caption]

He will no doubt be hoping that his third stab at reality TV goes better — and he hopes being in the Italian camp might help him quit cigarettes.

Paul says: “This Italian one is ten weeks. You eat rice and I’m hoping it’ll leave me with a great sun tan and I’ll stop smoking.

“I’m brushing up on my Italian at the moment. I can understand more than I can speak, but I’ll be OK.”

A three-year stint in Rome with Lazio during the ’90s made Gazza a household name in Italy, and he is looking forward to getting to know his campmates on the show.

The Sun revealed yesterday that the programme, called L’Isola del Famosi (Island Of The Famous), will feature a former Miss Italy and a fashion heiress.

Paul says: “I’ve met some of the contestants. I don’t know who they are and a lot of the young girls didn’t really know me either.

“But a guy who was a Lazio fan dropped to his knees in front of me and started praying. That was a bit embarrassing.”

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Paul Gascoigne playing for Newcastle United in 1985[/caption]

And the TV appearance is likely to land him a hefty pay cheque after seeing his income from the speaking circuit dwindle due to lockdown.

He jokes that the money will help him draw level to his fellow Geordie, former England ace Alan Shearer.

Paul says: “I’m getting paid well. It’s not about the money for me, but I told Shearer, ‘I’m finally getting as much as you do’.”

Despite hanging up his boots in 2004 after a final short stint playing in China, he remains a firm follower of the sport which propelled him to superstardom thanks to the magic he weaved at Newcastle, Tottenham, Rangers and for England.

A brief foray into management was unsuccessful — he vowed to take Kettering Town out of the Third Division and jokes he fulfilled his promise when they were . . . relegated.

Getty Images - Getty
Despite hanging up his boots in 2004, Paul remains a firm follower of the sport[/caption]

Looking back, Paul admits that he realised the role wasn’t for him.

He says: “Some things just don’t work out. As for coaching, I don’t want to be big-headed, but I think some of the things I did on the football field I wouldn’t be able to teach other kids.”

But he is fiercely critical of the lack of passion shown by some of today’s highly-paid superstars — saying few would shed tears on the pitch like he did.

He says: “I always played the best I could, and the main thing for me was to see the supporters’ faces.

“I shouldn’t say this, but it’s not like that today.

“You see some of them playing and they score a goal and just walk back.

Colorsport
Gazza is is fiercely critical of the lack of passion shown by some of today’s highly-paid superstars[/caption]

“I think they forget that some of these families have three kids and it costs so much money to get there. When someone scores and doesn’t celebrate, that’s heart-breaking. I don’t like seeing that. If it wasn’t for the fans, I wouldn’t have been able to afford a nice house, a nice car, nice jewellery.

“They put money into those turnstiles, which is why I’m so grateful to them.”

Now Paul spends much of his time alone at his flat in Bournemouth.

During downtime he keeps fit with workouts and cycling, saying that he doesn’t want to be “another fat ex-footballer”.

But he reveals that he ended up in hospital recently after a bike accident.

He explains: “I keep as fit as I can. I go to the gym and work out for about two hours and get the heart racing, which I was doing until I got run over recently and smashed a few ribs.

Getty - Contributor
Paul already has big plans for the future alongside a return to the after-dinner speaking circuit[/caption]

“It was a few months ago. I went round a bend, pedalled through some red lights and the guy came round the corner too close.

“I hit the curb, buckled the wheel and fell off it. He just drove off.

“I fractured a couple of ribs and went to hospital.”

After his stint in Honduras, Paul already has big plans for the future alongside a return to the after-dinner speaking circuit.

He reveals: “I’m talking about doing a film. One of the guys from Game Of Thrones wants to play me. It’s about my life.”

Paul and ex-wife Sheryl, 55, had son Regan, 25, before they divorced in 1999. Paul adopted 25-year-old Mason and Bianca, 34 — now a reality TV star and model — from Sheryl’s previous mariage.

Rex Features
Gazza plans to remain single for the time being[/caption]

For now, he plans to remain single so he can take sole responsibility for his actions should he make any mistakes.

And although he remains close to some of his footballing buddies, including Gary Lineker and Shearer, he admits he tries to keep his distance from other people as he always gets “carried away”.

Paul says: “I’m single, and that works for me at the moment. The thing is, if I keep myself to myself then my mistakes are all my own. Whatever happens, that’s on me.

“You’ve seen the times I’ve gone through.

“I don’t always think beforehand, I just go ahead and do stuff and deal with the consequences later, and I’ve given myself a load of challenges in my life.

“These days there’s no hiding — there are camera phones every- where, so all I can do is be myself.

“I’m not perfect, but if I keep things this way then I know that anything that goes wrong is on me.

“It will be my own fault, and I’ll have to deal with it.”

GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk

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