[attach id=439124 size="medium"]former England footballer Paul Gascoigne. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire[/attach]

Former England footballer Paul Gascoigne has revealed he threw a Rolex watch out of the window at the height of his struggle with drugs because he thought it was “listening” to him.

The star, who played for clubs including Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Lazio during his career, has fought a very public battle with addiction.

Speaking to Alastair Campbell in GQ, he said he had gone years at a time without a drink but last fell off the wagon in April, embarking on what he described as “a one-day bender”.

He said the height of his cocaine use, a decade ago, was the worst time in his life and described his sense of paranoia as “unbelievable”.

He said: “I thought my lighter was listening to us. I had a Rolex and I threw it out the window because I thought it was listening to us.”

Gascoigne, who said he prays every day to stay sober, likened being in rehab to his playing days, saying that was the “only time I felt free”.

He said: “When I am like this, happy and sober, and I've got my golf and my fishing, they can't touch me. I am happy when I don't have a drink.”

The full interview can be read in the August issue of GQ.