Paul Merson's early life growing up in North London and battle with gambling, booze and cocaine addiction

Paul Merson was a quality player back in the day but he had a tough time dealing with addiction in his youth. Here he hits a drinking celebration after the FA Cup semi final win against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on April 4, 1993
-Credit: (Image: Allsport/Getty Images)


Paul Merson is due to step onto the Strictly Come Dancing stage tonight for the start of the 2024 season. Many will remember the 55-year-old as a football legend, while others may know him for his honest and moving battles off the field.

The former Arsenal and England star faced gambling, alcohol, and cocaine addiction, but tonight (September 14) will be dancing live on BBC’s ballroom floor with the show starting at 7.20pm.

Paul Merson was born in Harlesden, North London, in 1968 to a working-class family and went to Keble School. During these formative years, he developed a talent for football which allowed him to join Arsenal's youth academy at 16. His boyhood dream of playing for the Gunners came true in 1986 when he made his debut for the first team.

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Merson won many trophies at Arsenal
Merson won many trophies at Arsenal -Credit:Allsport/Getty Images

The talented midfielder quickly became a fan favourite and was an important part of the team's success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He helped the club to win two First Division titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup, and the European Cup Winners' Cup and also earned 21 England caps during his career.

Addictions off the field

Merson's addiction got so bad in 1994 that Arsenal had to step in and send him to rehab
Merson's addiction got so bad in 1994 that Arsenal had to step in and send him to rehab -Credit:Stu Forster/Allsport

However, behind Merson's success on the pitch, he was privately battling severe addiction issues. In the early 1990s, he began using cocaine, a habit that spiralled into a debilitating addiction. The drug was not just terrible for Merson's health but also threatened his footballing career.

Finally, in 1994 it reached breaking point and Arsenal had to step in and send him to rehab. Merson took it upon himself to go public with his addiction in an emotional press conference the same year, one of the first footballers to openly talk about such problems.

This was not the end of the battle however and his addictions continued. Gambling was particularly harmful, leaving him with huge financial losses as he revealed he blew £7 million and still couldn't stop, The Sun reported, adding that he used to snort lines of cocaine in the taxi on the way to Arsenal training.

He told The Independent in 1996: "I'm an addictive person. If I open a bag of sweets, I won't just eat one or two, I'll eat the lot."

Road to recovery

Now Merson is a popular TV pundit on Sky Sports as well as an advocate for mental health and addiction
Now Merson is a popular TV pundit on Sky Sports as well as an advocate for mental health and addiction -Credit:Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

In recent years Merson has become an advocate for mental health and addiction recovery - talking openly about his struggles and his journey to sobriety. He visited Boxpark in Wembley in June 2022 to talk about how he overcame his dyslexia, learning disability, alcohol, and drug addictions.

Since retiring from football, he has had a successful career as a TV pundit with Sky Sports and has published an autobiography, revealingly named: 'How Not to Be a Professional Footballer'.

Now he is back in the limelight on Strictly, taking on a completely different challenge. Strictly Come Dancing will air on BBC One at 7.20pm tonight.

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