Paul Merson's life outside Strictly - from wife Kate Merson, eight kids and why he signed up for show

-Credit: (Image: Paul Merson/Instagram)
-Credit: (Image: Paul Merson/Instagram)


A former footballer is hoping to break the 'strictly curse' of sport players as he is determined to take the disco ball home this year.

Paul Merson, 57, from London, joins 14 other famous face to compete in this years much-loved Strictly Come Dancing, which also celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Paul is hoping prove that sportsmen can dance to win.

Merson's Strictly stint follows a distinguished career on the pitch and a colourful life off it - including gambling, alcohol and drugs. He was able to hide his addiction due to £20,000-a-week paycheck in the late 1990s when he worked for Middlesbrough, as well as his transfer fees which exceeded £12m.

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Not only did Paul lose everything, including his high-school sweetheart Lorraine Costin, but it was revealed he had lost a staggering £7m feeding his addictions. Now after learning from harsh life lessons, three marriages, eight kids, he has mended his ways by becoming a key public figure, writing newspaper columns. He also hopes his Strictly stint can inspire those with similar problems.

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-Credit:(Image: BBC)

He has been married three times, to Lorraine Costin and his second wife, Louise, has not publicly commented on her marriage to Paul. He is now married to Kate Merson, who prefers to keep her private life just that. However, the footy pundit has been known to post cute pictures of the pair of them, the latest being 12 weeks ago when he wrote: "Happy birthday to my darling wife I love you so much xxx".

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The pair married in 2016 and have three children together, their youngest being born in 2021. Paul has eight children overall, with five of them between his previous two marriages - three with Lorraine and twin girls with Louise.

Paul has admitted he is not afraid of hard work as he has been a part of many tournaments such as the FA Cup, the Euros and the World Cup, as well as being the manager of Walsall for two years between 2004 and 2006.

In a BBC article he revealed to signing up to Strictly because of his mum. He said: "I always say my dad played a big role in me becoming a professional footballer but my mum doesn’t get the credit she deserves. She loves the show, so it's nice for her."

He also thinks he has 'key skills' which he can bring to the competition.

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He added: "You need to have some coordination, just like on a football pitch, and that’s crucial on the dance floor too. A good coach and quality teaching are the most important things. One lesson I learned from football is to always be around good players – and if things don’t go well, you can always blame the coach."

But he does have his work cut out for him after he failed to impress the judges last week with his Vindaloo by Fat Les, which he was awarded with only 17 points - with 'villain' Craig Revel Horwood scoring only two points. Last night, the Sky Sports presenter hoped to 'spice' up the dance floor with a Salsa to the song Fireball by Pitbull and John Ryan with his partner Karen Hauer.

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When he was announced as one of the contestants for this year's season, Merson said: "Joining Strictly is a whole new ball game for me, but I’m going to tackle this challenge head on.

"I’m ready to swap the pitch for the ballroom floor, so here’s hoping my two left feet can learn some moves, and you never know, maybe I’ll be taking home the Glitterball Trophy!"

You can watch how he does live on BBC One or iPlayer at 6.15pm.

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