Wayne Lineker, the 63-year-old owner of O Beach Ibiza, has opened up about the family moment that drove him to quit alcohol, after a life-threatening battle with pneumonia. Appearing on Tuesday's Good Morning Britain, he described coming 'frightening close to death' following a seven-week hospital stay.
Lineker revealed that his son Dwayne confronted him about his drinking, saying he could no longer pick up his granddaughters from school. 'As much as an upset as that was, it really hit home,' he told presenters Susanna Reid and Ed Balls. The conversation prompted him to seek rehab and achieve six months of sobriety.
Detailing the depths of his alcoholism, Lineker admitted his breakfast of choice was a cheese and tomato toasted sandwich with a vodka Red Bull. He described a 'never-ending cycle' of anxiety and lack of energy, which he tried to fix with what he called 'magic medicine'. He said viral videos of his behaviour were a turning point.
Lineker also recounted his recent health scare, which began after a trip to Dubai. He woke up in severe pain, unable to move, and had to crawl to his phone to call an ambulance. He was hospitalised with two severe attacks of pneumonia, spending seven weeks at Basildon & Thurrock University Hospital before being discharged on December 28.
