Strictly: Paul Merson is eliminated following dance-off
Strictly Come Dancing's Paul Merson has courageously revealed his struggles with gambling addiction in a unique documentary.
The Sky Sports pundit and ex-England footballer has previously spoken openly about his battles with gambling, but this documentary provides a fresh perspective on his 35-year addiction.
Paul Merson: Football, Gambling, and Me is described by the BBC as a "candid look at the ex-footballer's battle with addiction".
In the hour-long feature, the 56-year-old "sets out to understand why his life has been so blighted by gambling and asks if enough is being done to prevent others following in his footsteps".
BBC iPlayer recently labelled Paul's revealing documentary as "don't miss" content on their platform, reports MyLondon.
The Strictly contestant of 2024 has confessed to squandering millions of pounds from his hard-earned money on gambling in the past.
In the documentary, he confessed: "I've been addicted to alcohol and cocaine, but by far the most destructive and the only one I'm still struggling with today is gambling.
"If I want to get drunk or high, I have to put something up my nose or down me.
"Gambling's already in you, just waiting constantly, talking to you. I'd be sitting on the sofa and I'd look over at the kids.
"The hate I had for myself, thinking about how I'd let them down. The scary thing is you know there's only one outcome, but you can't stop."
In the 2019 documentary Harry's Heroes, the father of eight delved into his ongoing battle to manage his addictions.
He has openly shared on Sky Sports that he believes gambling to be the most severe addiction, commenting: "This is an illness, it's the worst illness I've got personally.
"People think just because you don't put anything in your body, just stop it with willpower. You can't just stop it with willpower, it's not like that."
He further expanded on the nature of this struggle during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, explaining to viewers: "When you want to get drunk or you want to get high, you have to put stuff into your body. If you don't pick up that first drink, you are never going to get drunk."
Continuing the conversation about the predatory nature of compulsive betting, he added: "Gambling, you don't have to put anything into you. It's there and it's just a weird feeling and when it gets hold of you, it just grips you. It's the people round you as well and it's just draining, you're constantly looking at your phone."
The weekend preceding this interview saw Merson exit Strictly Come Dancing as the fourth celebrity departure.
Paired with professional dancer Karen Hauer, they were ultimately ousted after competing in a dance-off against JLS sensation JB Gill and his partner Amy Dowden, with the judges deciding to bid farewell to the ex-footballer.
Strictly Come Dancing continues this Saturday at 6.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Paul Merson: Football, Gambling, and Me is available to catch up now on BBC iPlayer.
