MY GAMBLING ADDICTION FILLS ME WITH GUILT & SHAME

Ex-Premier League star reveals the secret he kept for 40 years and how he wants to help youngsters in the game avoid all the pitfalls

- BY JOHN CROSS

DEAN STURRIDGE lived with a secret for more than 40 years.

The former Derby striker kept it from his team-mates, family and friends because of the "shame, embarrassment and guilt" of being a gambling addict.

But Sturridge, 51, is now taking the brave step of speaking about his years of addiction to help others and to highlight the dangers young footballers face.

Ex-Premier League star Sturridge, now a successful agent, said he never gambled on football and says he has gone more than five years without a bet. But he claimed losing and then chasing those losses caused chaos in his personal and professional life.

Sturridge (scoring for Derby against Arsenal in 1997, above) said: "It took me 40 years-plus to realise I was an addict. Gambling can be a form of escapism for a footballer. Maybe you're having a hard time with a manager, and if you're not playing you can get bored. That's when gambling can be a release and also feed your ego. I think I over-achieved in my career but away from the pitch the burden and the stress because of how much money I'd lose before chasing my losses was huge.

"I'd have conversations with people and not be present in that conversation because I'd be thinking about my next bet.

"Football was never my poison. Horse racing, golf, maybe a couple of other sports, but that also shows I had a level of control because I knew football was taboo. Although I had an addiction, I had a form of self-control.

"I've never totted up my losses.

In the Gamblers' Anonymous room, we rarely talk about financial losses as these can vary dramatically but will still be relevant to each person.