The former Arsenal and England footballer had pocketed £7m on gambling, alcohol and drugs during his years of addiction but believed he had finally turned the corner and was on the mend. 6 Paul Merson has pocketed £7m on gambling, alcohol and drugs during his long years of addictionCredit: BBC / Little Gem Media Ltd / Ch 6 During the lockdown, updates on Covid sent his anxiety through the roofCredit: Reuters 6 It culminated in him betting on table tennis, losing £160,000 he and wife Kate had saved for a deposit on a houseCredit: AFP Then, in early 2020, the pandemic hit and by August 27, Sky Sports Saturday’s Soccer pundit Paul had spent his entire deposit and was feeling suicidal. Now he has revealed he has been banned from all bookies and believes his third wife Kate will leave him if he relapses. Speaking from his rented home in south-west London, the father-of-eight told The Sun on Sunday: “I was on leave from Sky Sports and I loved the lockdown at first. “I was in the garden with my younger children and the sun was out. But then I got addicted to the bulletins when Boris Johnson and the bloke in the red tie came out. “Anxiety set in and I thought, ‘They’re not going to have a football Saturday anymore.’ “I was thinking, ‘I’m not going to be able to win anything.’ The mothers of my older children have houses and I want to give my younger children a future. “Kate and I had saved up £160,000 and I blew it on a few bets. It was all online, but it wasn’t betting, it was a private bookie.”
“THE WAGES GO TO MY WIFE”
The only sports played at the time were table tennis tournaments and golf. Paul, 54, said: “My last bet was eight euros on a table tennis player. I didn’t have much knowledge of table tennis, but everything was locked at that point, so there wasn’t much to bet on. “When I got to that point, it was just an all-out chase to try and get my money back, which is a typical example of a compulsive gambler. “That was my last eight grand, but when I catch it, I lose all sense of reason.” She added: “I remember sitting in my front room having suicidal thoughts and my kids playing and thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’ve just done everything in there.’ “That was eating at me for a week. At that moment I was thinking, “What’s the point of me being here?” What is the point of being on this earth? I’m just walking into the street and I’ve let my kids down for the umpteenth time.” “I was looking at my kids and I hadn’t even told their mom that I had made the money. And when I told her, she went ballistic.” Paul, whose first two marriages collapsed because of his addictions, feared losing his third. However, despite her anger, Kate, whose maternal grandfather was also a gambler, forgave Paul, although he immediately took control of the family’s finances. Paul, who has 21 England caps, said: “My wages go to my wife and I have pocket money. “Now thank God she’s in charge and I’m banned from all the bookies so I couldn’t play even if I wanted to.” Since his relapse, Paul has become an ambassador for addiction support app Recoverlution, which offers addicts the convenience of a 24/7 digital community. He said: “I know my addiction is waiting and it scares me. I got into this because I know you can put off going to an Alcoholics Anonymous or Gamblers Anonymous meeting if it’s raining or you’re tired. “With Recoverlution there is no excuse, you have your laptop or your iPhone or whatever. And it’s there 24/7 and connected to the whole world. I think that’s an important thing — you can get help in the middle of the night.” Paul joined Arsenal in 1985 and won two Football League titles, an FA Cup, the Football League Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup with them. 6 Paul believes his third wife Kate will leave him if he relapsesCredit: paulmerseofficial/instagram 6 Paul is a pundit on Sky Sports Soccer SaturdayCredit: Getty However, within years his addictions took control. He said: “I was playing for England and I was sitting in the dugouts with a huge rock of coke. “People would come in to score, then double and think, ‘No, it can’t be Paul Merson, can it?’ “I would be drinking at 5am after the nightclubs closed and I would do cocaine in the taxi on the way to Arsenal training. I tried to kill myself three times. Someone has noticed me. I don’t go to church, but I believe in God.” A spell in rehab conquered Paul’s cocaine addiction, but his gambling problem was still rampant by the time he joined Aston Villa in 1998. He said: “I once lost a top Rolex to a friend in a game of heads and tails when we were drunk in Spain. He took the watch and then got robbed. But you can’t bet and whine if you lose. “At Villa me and David James went to the Birmingham NEC car show and I bought a Ferrari for £105,000. “I told the guy, ‘I’ll give you cash on Tuesday.’ But on Monday I went to the bookies. “On Tuesday the Ferrari guy arrived at the training ground and I just said: ‘I’ve lost it.’ I have no money”. “Then I said, ‘Do us a favor, can I have a little car?’ and I went up the road and back. I actually didn’t like it because it had those Tiptronic (semi-automatic) gears. I dodged a bullet with that one.” Now Paul attends Gamblers Anonymous sessions, talks to a specialist, uses the app – and has chocolate for comfort instead of booze. She said: “I’m a chocoholic. Or a pudding-aoli. I eat puddings, which I was never interested in. This took up too much space for the drink, so it’s swings and roundabouts. “But my wife would rather eat a Dairy Milk bar in two seconds than not know when I’ll be home.” And Paul is determined not to relapse again. He said: “Kate would leave me and I wouldn’t blame her. “I don’t think I have any more recovery left in me. I’ve done it too many times.”
EASY TO LOSE £300,000 IN ONE DAY
PAUL is worried about young footballers playing at the top level and betting. He said: “Among professional athletes it is a growing problem. In Tony Adams’ treatment center it was 70 percent alcoholics and 30 percent gamblers and now it’s the other way around. This shows you. 6 Paul says: ‘Tony Adams’ treatment center was 70 per cent alcoholics and 30 per cent gamblers and now it’s the other way around’ Credit: Getty “Gambling affected my game more than drinking. With drinking, people can see you. “These players on 100 grand a week, someone could drop 300 grand a day and come to training. Nobody knows. “It’s very easy for a player to sit indoors and lose money. I’m talking about one or two percent.”
