Strictly Come Dancing's Tony Adams opened up about his battle with drink and drugs.
The former footy star, who served almost 60 days in prison following a conviction for drink-driving in the 90s, will take to the dancefloor on Friday.
Speaking in a candid interview, the ex-Arsenal and England defender says 'his message' to viewers is to raise awareness surrounding addiction.
Now 26 years sober, Tony – nicknamed Donkey – says he laughs when fellow contestants list all the tough experiences they believe will help them cope with the pressure of Strictly.
"I'm going to top you all," he previously told The Mirror. "When I came out of prison they lobbed bottles at me and I had carrots thrown at me. So - I’ve trumped it."
The dad-of-six, 55, says he accepted the offer to appear on the show following a tough few years, which have left him wanting to inject more fun into his life.
"I had a mental breakdown when I was 49 and working too hard in China," he explains. "I'm not working too much, my calendar's pretty empty for the next three months so I just thought yeah,
go for it."
He said the "stress of life" had got to him around 2015, when he had to have heart surgery. "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."
Now, speaking to MailOnline, he said: "I'm 26 years without a drink or drugs, so I want to bring some mental health awareness around life and what I do today.
"I run a business and charities, and we use dance therapy at rehab - It's good for the mind so I thought I'll go for it.
"I had a mental breakdown when I was 49, my new addiction was working too hard and with the stress I had a heart condition. So I decided to take things a bit easier - after Strictly.
"You can do anything when you're free of addiction, that's my message I want to give out," concluded the budding dancer.
The new series of Strictly Come Dancing launches on Friday (September 23) from 7pm on the BBC. The first live show airs Saturday (September 24) from 6.45pm.
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