George’s drinking and depression devastated our family, says ex-wife

ANGIE Best has revealed the devastating effects George Best’s alcoholism and depression had on her and their son Calum.

The former model (67), who was married to the Manchester United and Northern Ireland legend for six years, said she had “no clue” what she was getting into when she met him.

“You couldn’t help loving George, everyone did, he was such a sweet, wonderful, loving man, but I had no clue at all what I was getting into with him,” she told the Daily Mail.

“He tried rehab twice — it was absolutely useless. All he did was end up having an affair with one of the clinicians.

“I didn’t want to give up on George. I kept thinking, ‘Okay, there must be a way to fix this’.

But we could never find one because what I realise now was George didn’t want to be cured. He had depression but in those days we didn’t know what that was.”

Angie tried to control George’s partying, but he would find ways around her interventions.

“Being married to an alcoholic makes you such a horrible, ugly person,” she said.

“I’d make him take his Antabuse (tablets which cause vomiting if alcohol is consumed afterwards) every morning, sticking his tongue out to prove he’d swallowed it, but he’d hide the pills between the gap in his front teeth. Weeks later I’d find them in his jeans’ pockets.

“Once it got so drastic I broke up a sleeping pill and put it in his tea to try to make him stay home.

“He slept for 24 hours, it was terrifying. I didn’t try that again. You want to say to their friends, ‘Don’t let him drink’ but they don’t give a s***.” After Calum was born, three years into their marriage, the Essex woman found herself feeling more alone than ever.

“Calum was threeweeks-old and George went on a bender for two weeks,” she continued.

“I sat on my chair with the needlepoint and the baby, looking out of the window all night long every night, thinking, ‘Is he all right? What is he doing?’ I’ll never forget that pain.”