The Strictly star opens up about her battle with addiction in a gripping documentary | TV and radio Show business and television

Strictly Come Dancing’s Paul Merson has bravely opened up about his battle with gambling addiction in a unique documentary.

The Sky Sports pundit and former England international has previously been open about his battles with gambling, but this documentary sheds new light on his 35-year addiction.

Paul Merson: Football, Gambling, and Me described in BBC as “a candid look at an ex-footballer’s struggle with addiction.”

In the hour-long film, the 56-year-old “sets out to understand why his life has been so clouded by gambling and questions whether enough is being done to prevent others from following in his footsteps.”

BBC iPlayer recently marked Paul’s revealing documentary as “must-miss” content on its platform, it said MyLondon.

The Strictly 2024 contestant has admitted he has spent millions of pounds of his hard-earned money gambling in the past.

In the documentary, he admitted: “I was addicted to alcohol and cocaine, but by far the most destructive and the only thing I still struggle with today is gambling.

“If I want to get drunk or high, I have to stick something up my nose or drink.

“Gambling is already in you, I’m just waiting, talking to you. I would sit on the couch and watch the kids.

“The hatred I felt for myself thinking how I would let them down. The scary thing is that you know there’s only one outcome, but you can’t stop.”

In the 2019 documentary Harry’s Heroes, the father of eight delves into his ongoing struggle to deal with his addictions.

He openly shared on Sky Sports that he considers gambling to be his worst addiction, commenting: “It’s a disease, it’s the worst disease that I have personally.

“People think that just because you’re not putting anything into your body, just force it to stop. You can’t just stop it by force of will, you can’t.’

He went on to talk about the nature of this struggle during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, explaining to viewers: “When you want to get drunk or high, you need something to support your body. If you don’t choose after drinking the first glass, you’ll never get drunk.”

Continuing the conversation about the predatory nature of compulsive betting, he added: “You don’t have to invest anything in gambling. It’s there, and it’s just a strange feeling, and when it takes hold of you, it just takes you. It’s the people around you too, and it’s just exhausting, you’re constantly looking at your phone.”

The weekend before this interview, Merson left Strictly dance as the fourth celebrity departure.

Paired with professional dancer Karen Hauer, they were finally evicted after competing in a dance-off against JLS sensation JB Gill and his partner Amy Dowden, and the judges decided to say goodbye to the ex-footballer.

Strictly dance continuing this Saturday at 6:30 p.m BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Paul Merson: “Soccer, Gambling and Me” is available to watch BBC iPlayer.