It is Gazza’s way... he kisses everyone
Friends back ‘tactile’ star as peck pics are shown to jury
PHOTOS of Paul Gascoigne kissing Princess Diana and Wayne Rooney were shown to a jury yesterday as the star denied sexually assaulting a woman on a train.
Gascoigne, 52, broke down in tears as he said he kissed the alleged victim to “protect” her after a passenger had called her “fat” while on a trip to the North East in August last year.
As well as the photos, which also showed Gascoigne kissing his former Rangers team-mate Ally McCoist, other friends backed the star.
In a statement, boxer Ricky Hatton said his pal was “larger than life” and added: “He is very tactile when he meets me, he rushes over and kisses me on the cheek, that is the way he has always been.”
Mel Stein, a football agent, said: “It is typical of the way Paul would greet people.”
Ex-boxer Jane Couch said she first met Gascoigne at a charity event in Bristol around 10 years ago.
Speaking via a video link she said: “He just came over, put his arms around me, gave me a kiss.
“That’s what we’re like, us northerners, we’re quite tactile.”
Gascoigne, of Leicester, denied being drunk and said his speech may have appeared slurred because he was not wearing his lower false teeth.
Removing the dental bridge to show to the jury, he said he lost some teeth after being attacked years ago.
Teesside crown court, Middlesbrough, heard he had battled with his weight during his playing career.
He said: “I was called a ‘fat b ***** d’ every time I played. I had bulimia... I put my fingers down my throat.”
The trial continues.