Football legend Paul Gascoigne has shared a deeply emotional story from his childhood, recalling the day a young boy died in his lap.

The tragic incident happened when Gascoigne was just 10 years old, looking after a friend’s younger brother, who was only eight.

The child had run ahead while they were on their way back from the shops, and Gascoigne witnessed a car hit him.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, he recounted the horrifying moment with raw emotion.

The Harrowing Accident

Gascoigne explained, “His little brother didn’t want to go to the boys’ club, so I said I’d look after him.

We left the shop, and I said, ‘Quick, come on, run, let’s go.’ He ran in front of us for just a yard, and the car hit him.”

He continued, “I ran down and he died in my lap. I thought he was still alive because his lips moved a bit.

I said, ‘He’s OK, he’s breathing,’ but he wasn’t. That was his last movement.”

The memory remains vivid decades later, leaving an indelible mark on the former Newcastle and Tottenham midfielder.

Staying With the Child

Even after the child was laid to rest, Gascoigne struggled to let go.

“I picked him up out of the coffin at only 10, and I remember him being freezing,” he said.

“When the coffin left, I went and stayed with them again, in that same room for a week.

I was only 10, and I was staying in the same room with a coffin; it was horrific.”

The experience had a lasting emotional impact, causing Gascoigne distress and physical reactions like twitches and noises in the following years.

Finding Solace in Football

Football became Gascoigne’s escape from the trauma. “I was upset. I went every night.

I took a ball with us. I slept with the football. Playing the game took me out of this nightmare,” he explained.

He described how Saturday matches became a sanctuary.

“I couldn’t wait for Saturday because when I was on the pitch, where I think I was so good, those 90 minutes were my time on the pitch.”

Battling Addiction and Mental Health

Now 58, Gascoigne also opened up about his ongoing struggles with alcohol and mental health since retiring over 20 years ago.

In his new autobiography, Eight, he candidly shares his battle with alcoholism and attempts to stay sober.

During a heartfelt interview on Good Morning Britain, he admitted he still drinks occasionally and has returned to Alcoholics Anonymous for support.

“I can go months and months without bothering and then have a two-day blip and then the consequences,” he said. “Then I don’t like myself for a few days.

I just get miserable and then have to go to an AA meeting and just listen. It wasn’t until I first went to AA meetings that I realised I was an alcoholic.”

Using His Story to Inspire Others

Gascoigne’s openness aims to inspire others facing addiction and mental health struggles.

By sharing his journey—including the trauma of his childhood, the refuge football offered him, and his ongoing fight with alcoholism—he hopes to encourage people to seek help and confront their own challenges.