Paul Gascoigne has said he will “never stop drinking”, admitting he would rather “die as Gazza” than give up alcohol entirely. The former England footballer, now 58, spoke to the Daily Mirror about his ongoing battle with alcoholism.
Gascoigne, who earned 57 caps for England between 1988 and 1998, said he continues to relapse despite multiple stints in rehab. “I have not changed, I cannot change, I would not know how to change,” he said. “I will probably die as Gazza. But I have nothing to hide. The whole country knows what I have done now.”
The Gateshead-born star rose to fame at Newcastle United before spells with Tottenham, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough and Everton. His life off the pitch has been turbulent, with well-documented struggles against alcoholism and depression.
Gascoigne said he has long accepted his public image. “Jimmy Greaves stopped drinking, but that is Jimmy Greaves. I am not Jimmy Greaves and I am not George Best. I don’t get drunk because I hate my mum and dad or I hate the public. It is not about that. I do it for the sake of it.”
He added: “I might regret it. But I don’t think about yesterday, I don’t think about tomorrow. I just think about today and live for today.” Gascoigne is set to release a new book, Eight, in which he promises to reveal the “real Gazza” for the first time.
