Former Tottenham Hotspur star and England legend Paul Gascoigne has revealed that he is struggling with alcoholism and is currently living with his agent Katie Davies.
Speaking to the High Performance podcast, Gazza said: “I used to be a happy drunk, I ain’t anymore. I’m a sad drunk. I don’t go out and drink, I drink indoors. If I want to make it a bad day, [all I need to do is] go down the pub. If I want it to be a good day, I get my flying rod out and go fishing.
“It’s not the drinking, it’s the afterwards. Looking at my phone after and seeing 30 messages or missed calls, I know I’m in trouble. But I’ve been all right. Last year wasn’t brilliant, was off and on for a couple of months.
“I went to a meeting the other night so that was all right. Just an AA meeting. I went with a friend and that was OK. They’re all right, harmless. People know Paul Gascoigne but Gazza, no one knows, even me sometimes. I’ve spent a lot of years being down, when I did my ligaments and then my kneecap, I missed four years of football. I would’ve got 100 caps [for England].
“I try not to get down because the world’s already down enough and when I’m really down, that’s when I pick up a drink to cheer myself up. I don’t think I let any managers down, or the players or the fans, you know. If there was anyone I let down, it was myself. But more the drinking side of it, when I finished playing.”
Gascoigne has been struggling with alcoholism issues since his playing career, getting into a number of controversies due to his drinking problem. The Englishman scored 63 goals in 364 appearances in his club career and made 57 appearances for England, scoring 10 goals.
