Rangers legend Paul Gascoigne was once 'so lonely' that he reportedly let local kids break into his private pool at his Scots home.
Talk Sport’s host Danny Kelly made the revelation ahead of the new ‘Gazza’ documentary airing on the BBC today.
Speaking on the show, Kelly said Gazza was so starved of human contact that he didn't call cops on the children and would keep an eye on them through his high tech CCTV system instead.
The documentary focuses on how Gazza was portrayed by the media and questions whether they had a role in his downfall.
Kelly said: “I will tell you a story, just to give you a feel for how deep Paul’s problems were at that time.
“Paul had a house where he was living near Glasgow, with lakes and things, and he lived there on his own.
“The local kids would break in to use the swimming pool and Paul would watch them on the close circuit television cameras, but wouldn’t call the police or anything, because he was so lonely. This was his human contact."
Music journalist Kelly was famously pals with Gazza in the 1990s and the pair went on wild nights out with DJs Chris Evans and Danny Baker.
He also recalled Gascoigne's partying days and the Geordie’s tragic decline.
Kelly said many people he knew, including ex-Rangers manager Walter Smith, ‘bent over backwards’ to help Gazza.
He added: “The person who did try, and deserves a lot of credit here, is Walter Smith. He did his level best to get the best out of Paul and create the environment where his most difficult personal behaviours wouldn’t detract from football.”
But despite the best efforts of many, Kelly said Gazza often surrounded himself with people who didn't have his best interests at heart.
He said: ““I am not a psychologist, I have no qualifications for this at all, but nobody close to him , either medically or in football, seemed to address these behaviours and of course they got worse over the years in many ways.”
Kelly ended the chat saying that although the pair are no longer on speaking terms his hope is that Gazza can get to a place where he can enjoy the last third of his life.
The ‘Gazza’ documentary is a two-part show, and first airs on BBC Two on Wednesday, April 13 at 9pm, with episode two broadcast exactly one week later. Both will be available on BBC iPlayer from 9pm on Wednesday, April 13.
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