Police have questioned ex-England international Paul Gascoigne after they arrested him in suspicion of being drunk in charge of a vehicle. The legendary Geordie footballer, who has a record of alcohol abuse and depression, was taken into custody after police were called to a disturbance at a takeaway in North Yorkshire.
‘Gazza’ has previously described how he hit rock bottom when he was taking cocaine and drinking a litre of gin per day. In 2008 he was sectioned under the mental health act three times by courts. After a long battle with alcohol and substance abuse and addiction, he went public about his continuing problems in a bid to recover.
Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire of BBC Radio 5 Live, he explained that he had been clean of drink and drugs for nearly four months. He attributed his success to undertaking the 12 steps programme and attending of Alcoholics Anonymous.
He hit a slump last year when he was arrested and given a fixed penalty notice for being drunk and disorderly in Newcastle last December.
Gascoigne had struggled to cope with depression after a hip replacement in 2007 which led him into a spiral of drink and drugs. He moved into the Marriot hotel in Gateshead and would binge on hundreds of bottles of wine and gin from the minibar. He told how he found it difficult to get drunk, a common issue for alcoholics.
Former Newcastle-United player had become so delusional he thought his toy parrots were talking to him at which point his sister Anna feared he would commit suicide. After contacting police and hotel staff they found him asleep in his hotel room bath. He was dragged away and was checked into rehab. “I couldn’t believe it. I’d gone from being a national hero to a mental hospital. I’d never felt so embarrassed and ashamed” He recalls.
Its not the first time Gascoigne has been involved in driving offences since he has a record of speeding, drink driving and careless driving