Tony Adams has quickly developed into a Strictly Come Dancing fan favourite.
The legendary Arsenal centre half is partnered with Katya Jones on the latest season of the popular BBC contest. The 56-year-old is set to don his dancing shoes once again tonight as his bid for the Glitterball continues.
Tony won plaudits from the judges last week for an emotional American Smooth that was dedicated to the people who helped him overcome his addiction struggles. The former footballer erupted with joy when the performance even earned praise from Craig Revel Horwood, who described the routine as "better".
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However, fans were left in hysterics when Claudia Winkleman apologised for an explicit remark as Tony was overwhelmed with excitement after the positive feedback. The host insisted Tony did not need to say sorry as she said: "Don't be silly. Craig said 'better' and it often gets us all going. I get it."
Tony is competing on this season of the show for an important reason as he wants to raise awareness on addiction issues. The Premier League winning captain served almost 60 days in prison following a conviction for drink-driving in the 90s - and has been open about his mental health struggles and battles with addiction.
He has now been sober for 26 years, but said the "stress of life" got to him in 2015 when he had to have heart surgery. According to Mirror Online, he said: "I nearly died, my main artery was 99% closed.
"I'm a bit of a born worrier - my mum was a worrier - so I just decided to take things a bit easier and get myself on a silly show."
Tony also said he suffered a mental breakdown and explained why it was the right time in his life to take on the Strictly challenge. He said: "I had a mental breakdown when I was 49 and working too hard in China. I'm not working too much, my calendar's pretty empty for the next three months so I just thought yeah, go for it."
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