Wayne Lineker has admitted he was a 'burden on the family' as he opened up about his struggles with alcohol and his relationship with his brother Gary. The businessman said on Good Morning Britain that the past year was both the 'worst but the best year' of his life, as he revealed he had stopped drinking. He also confessed that he had been drinking 'very much every day' for 37 years.
He said: 'I found myself in a never-ending cycle of lack of energy in the mornings when I woke up. My breakfast of choice was a cheese and tomato toastie and a vodka Red Bull. I was drinking all day, every day.' Wayne told the Daily Mail that his drinking worried his family and made him a 'burden'. He added: 'I was not behaving well and I didn’t feel good. I didn’t feel healthy and it finally caught up with me.'
He had his last drink in July 2025 and checked into a Surrey rehab facility for six weeks. He is now sober and mentioned that his son Duane 'looked after' him while he lived in Ibiza, but a 'turning point' came when Duane told him he could no longer pick his granddaughters up from school.
Elsewhere, he explained how his relationship with his brother Gary had changed. He said it is now 'good' as they both realised that 'life is too short'. However, he added that they are 'not on the terms we used to be' and that they 'used to be so close' but are 'not at that level' anymore. He assured the Daily Mail that they are 'back as friends again'. Their first interaction in 15 years came at the wedding of Gary's son Harry in Ibiza, where they spoke properly for the first time since their parents' funerals.
Wayne recently announced the closure of one of his Ibiza venues after 37 years. Sharing the news on Instagram, he called it 'the end of an era' for the San Antonio hotspot. Sports bar Linekers had become a firm favourite among tourists. He explained that the flagship venue in Puerto Banus, Marbella, will stay open and is 'thriving'. Wayne also owns the famous beach club O Beach Ibiza, which opened in 2012 and became a popular spot for celebrities.
