‘I will die as Gazza' - England icon Paul Gascoigne admits he'll never stop drinking after multiple stints in rehab

Gascoigne, enjoyed a glittering career highlighted by his starring role in England's run to the 1990 World Cup semi-finals, where his tears became an iconic moment. He also helped England reach the Euro 96 semi-finals, scoring a memorable goal against Scotland. At club level, Gascoigne won the FA Cup with Tottenham and two league titles, the Scottish Cup and League Cup with Rangers. He is widely recognised as one of the most naturally talented English footballers of his generation.

Speaking ahead of the release of his new book Eight, which chronicles his many struggles with addiction and his stints in rehab, Gascoigne told The Mirror: "I will probably die as Gazza. But I have nothing to hide. The whole country knows what I have done now. I drank because I wanted to drink, I regretted the consequences afterwards. Now if I have a relapse, I do not go for weeks on end like I did before. Looking back, I must have hurt my mum and dad. But you do not think about it. The person you hurt the most is yourself."

He added: "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. 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."

Gazza broke down in a recent TV interview, as the pain of recalling the troubles he has faced all his life became too much for him to bear. He said on ITV daytime show Good Morning Britain: "I can go months and months without bothering and then have a two-day blip and then the consequences. And then I don't like myself for a few days. I just get miserable and then have to go to an AA meeting and just listen because you wonder what it is. It wasn't until I first went to AA meetings that I realised I was an alcoholic."

Gascoigne was a prominent victim of tabloid phone hacking, notably by Mirror Group journalists. The illegal intrusion fuelled his severe paranoia, caused him to wrongly accuse family and friends of leaking stories, and contributed to his alcoholism.  Reflecting on that time, the ex-midfielder said: "That came on with the drugs when I first tried it, and then I had the problem. It was only because of the phone hacking, I fell out with my mum and dad for three months, and that destroyed us. 

"Then, because of the hacking, I took the drugs, and then my dad sectioned me for 11 days - I was 22 - the undercover coppers. Then afterwards, I was alright after that. The only [people] I spoke to was my mum and dad and it kept on coming out in the newspapers, so I fell out with them. I ended up having six mobile phones and still using the phone box outside. I was thinking, 'Mum and dad, what the f*** are you doing?' Sorry for the language. 'Why are you speaking to the papers?' That destroyed us, the drugs had took hold, and it was only until my dad got me sectioned, which was the best thing that has ever happened."

Gascoigne's memoir Eight is released this week and will be his fourth book about his life. It details his legendary football career and personal struggles with addiction. The book offers an honest and uplifting look at his journey to overcome adversity, with reflections on mental health and redemption. It provides a glimpse into the mind of a star who has been a household name for decades.