Desert island Gazza
Star’s 10 weeks with no booze & fags on Italy’s tough ‘I’m A Celeb’ show
PAUL Gascoigne faces going without booze, fags and his mobile for 10 weeks on a gruelling Italian version of I’m A Celebrity.
The England legend, 53, is due to be dropped from a helicopter into waters off the jungle of Honduras on Monday.
Gazza, a cult hero with Lazio fans in Italy, will have already quarantined for 10 days in Central America before joining
Island of the Famous.
Contestants are only allowed to take two pairs of swimming trunks, two pairs of underwear, a toothbrush, a comb or hairbrush and a pillow.
A source said: “Gazza knew it was going to be tough before he went in there. But it really is going to be a test if he stays for the duration.”
Celebs on L’Isola dei Famosi, set in the Cayos Cochinos islands, have to catch fish to supplement meagre provisions of coconut and rice.
Gazza, who turned up at the 2010 armed police stand off with killer Raoul Moat carrying a fishing rod, may be in his element. To win more food, the stars have to pass physical challenges. The prize is often a huge plate of spaghetti.
The former Newcastle, Spurs and Rangers ace looked fit when he recorded a video message for his old club Lazio this week. In it, he calls himself “Gascoigni” and shows off the language skills he learned during his 1992-1995 stint in Rome.
He told Italian magazine TV Sorrisi e Canzone: “If I win, I will give the prize money to a charity founded by my family in memory of my nephew.”
That was a reference to Jay Kerrigan, who tragically died aged 22 in 2016.
Jay’s mum, Paul’s sister Anna, spent years supporting Gazza in his battles with alcoholism.
On the show’s social media, he is described as a “tennis player, fisherman, scared of snakes, a nice guy, happy”.
Gazza still drinks despite having pellets sewn into his stomach to curb his desire for alcohol. He spent £20,000 travelling to Australia for the surgery in 2018.
He said: “The pellets make you feel sick. You can have a beer or a glass of wine, but you cannot have any more.”