Gascoigne: 'I'm still tackling my demons'
Former England star Paul Gascoigne has revealed how reading his new book reduced him to tears.
The ex-Newcastle and Tottenham midfielder has followed up his acclaimed autobiography with Being Gazza: My Journey to Hell and Back, a record of a year in therapy.
Gascoigne, 39, has fought well-documented battles against alcoholism and bulimia and last December was sacked as player-manager of Kettering after just 39 days in charge.
“Then I broke down and cried for two days,” Gascoigne told The Times, speaking of when he first read the manuscript for his book.
“When I realised what I had been talking about, I didn’t want it to come out.”
Gascoigne is still tackling his demons but, as the book reveals, confronting one can lead to problems with another.
He has not had a drink since February but that has affected how he has treated his food disorder.
He added: “I’m hungry but I can’t afford to have breakfast, because that means I’ll have lunch then I’ll have dinner, so I tend to wait till I’m really starving, which is not right either.”
Of his bulimia, which was exacerbated by his desire to stay trim as a player, he says: “So it was a problem I got into: eating and then putting my fingers down my throat.
“But I have only done it two or three times in the past two years, which is good for me – an achievement.”
