Someone in the world of TV scheduling has a deep sense of irony. On BBC2 you can watch The Gaza Crisis, while on Channel 4 I am watching Surviving Gazza. It's painful viewing. I keep thinking: what kind of mother would allow her three very scarred children to take part in a programme like this?Mason, her eighteen year old son by a different father, is desperate to win Gazza's approval. His 22 year old sister Bianca is not Gazza's biological daughter yet she seems happy to enter the world of 'D' list celebritydom, living off her surname. Regan, who is 12 years old seems to be the only one with a clear head.
Sheryl even felt the need to take a camera crew with her to see a psychotherapist who advised her to stop "helping" her ex husband. And she was then filmed as she told her children she would stop "helping" him. Nice.
If Sheryl Gascoigne really had her ex husband's best interests at heart, she would never have agreed to make this programme. And if she had her children's best interests at heart she would have told the producers where to stick their programme idea.
I wonder how much Channel 4 paid her.
The three Gascoigne children actually seemed like really nice kids. Sheryl must be a better mother than her reputation might suggest, because her children are a credit to her. But she should never have put them through this.
Paul Gascoigne was a wonderful player who gave the country so much enjoyment. I remember watching him in the 1990 World Cup Semi Final, crying with him. I remember the roar I let out when he scored THAT goal against Scotland.
But I don't want to remember him as he is today. He's heading the same way as George Best unless someone can help him. I pray they do.
21 comments:
I only saw a bit of the programme, but turned over feeling uncomfortable for the very reasons you have given
I decided not to watch this as it seemed like a blatant exploitation of a fallen Gazza. Seems I was right.
With friends like that.....
When ever i go to the Dentist I think of Gazza! Hiccup!!!
I think you are being too hard on Sheryl Gascoigne. I thought it was a brave thing to do. If it helps other people going through the same thing then it was worth it.
I'm sure so many things that get reported about her, her family and Gazza are incorrect - so it was a good way to set the record straight.
Alcohol addiction and mental illness affect so many families. I can only imagine how difficult and heartbreaking it must be. It devastates families and lives. Why pretend otherwise?
Have a heart.
I never watch these sort of programmes because I always know exactly what they will show.
But then there's seemingly no depths to the venality and stupidity of today's so-called 'celebrity', so there will undoubtedly be more.
"I thought it was a brave thing to do. If it helps other people going through the same thing.."
Yes, I'm sure 'helping other people' was uppermost in her mind..
"Alcohol addiction and mental illness affect so many families. I can only imagine how difficult and heartbreaking it must be. It devastates families and lives. Why pretend otherwise? "
So it's ok to view them on car-crash TV? Much the way people used to go to Bedlam for an educational day out, staring at the loons...?
One thing's for sure - Channel 4 and 5 know their audience only too well.
I watched her earlier in the day with the three children. It was actually Gazza who agreed to do this programme to try and help him with his alcoholism and drug problem. He disappeared during the making of it, the rest carried on hoping he would return. He didnt.
This "hero" is on self destruct and needs help , he seems incapable of taking it. The family have continually supported him, he has continually abused them.
She has been supporting him for years and years , those kids who are not his , he brought up as his and they have tried to help him
His biological son said he has no relationship with him, only bad memories.
This sadly is the bye product of Paul Gascoignes addiction and illness
Cut her some slack
'His 22 year old sister Bianca is not Gazza's biological father'. Glad to hear that, Ian
Thank goodness Bianca (22) is not Gazza's biological father. That would have been too much to take. But why on earth are you infantalising 18 and 22 year olds? These are not children.
And Gazza is no George Best.
I suspect the person who couldn't agree with you more, Iain, would be Mr Gascoigne himself.
The final chapters in his compelling autobiography, Gazza My Story, make clear that he thinks Sheryl is exploitative:
A sample quote: "...she gave a big interview to Hello! over ten pages, slagging me off. There were also photographs of her posing with the kids, my kids...I didn't like that, putting our kids on show, dragging them into our row.
It's not of course the first time she's gone to the press, nor will it be the last.
You'll notice she still calls herself Gascoigne. 'Sheryl Gascoigne - ex-wife of Paul Gascoigne', so she gets billed..."
And so on. Having read that I started watching the programme last night with some trepidation, it soon became clear though it was more to do with Sheryl in the limelight rather than helping Paul.
I think it was just after Sheryl was trying to elicit some sympathy by claiming that Paul only had a drink problem after they got married in 1996 i.e. she couldn't have known, that I switched off.
Yep, because that fact that Gascoigne drank a lot was a huge secret before 1996 wasn't it? Er no, cue Graham Taylor "refueling habits" comment in 1992.
She is leech.
His whole family are leeches.
He is sick and needs help and they stop him getting it, as a well Gazza would never enable them to live off him again.
"That goal" is the Prime Mentalist's "favourite goal", which considering it was against Scotland shows how much of an opportunistic crawler he is. Most Scots would accept that it was a good goal but never their favourite.
What happened to "British Day" by the way?
It is pretty sick, but I would put all the blame on her rather the the broadcaster for showing the programme. After all, advertising revenues are their staple diet.
Oh gods, Iain. Who cares? It's only a fat, burned-out, brainless, alcoholic, Geordie footballing has-been and his sanctimonious, self-obsessed, publicity-junkie ex. Likewise, if and when Wayne Rooney's risible life eventually explodes in his face I really will not give a quarter of a damn.
It must be very difficult to be an ex-footballer, especially if your talent is only to play. Unless you have an ability to manage a team or start a business what can you do all day?
Unfortunately Gazza seems to drift and drink.
Very Sad.
Everyone seems to be having a go at sheryl over last nights documentary on channel 4.
Paul touched our lives too.
My brother was also an acloholic and met Paul at a alcoholics meeting in Sunderland.My Brother,Gary has since died from acute liver failiure.Let me tell you i never wish to see this again.The affect this illness has on families and friends is massive.
Sheryl still loves Paul, which was quite evident.There are so many so called do gooders like the ADDICT expert who have no idea what theyre on about.Alcohol addiction is an illness and only the person who is the addict can sort the problem.To advise the family to walk away is disgusting.Paul has mental issues to adress as well as his addiction and unfortunatley i dont think there is much hope for him.My heart goes out to Pauls family especially his mother,who really is suffering more than anyone..
Why did you even watch it Iain? You are only encouraging TV companies to continue making such dross.
Im astounded at the comments on here. For a start its already been stated that Paul organised the TV programme. The man is mentally ill and needs help. But to make Sheryl out to be the bad person for this really suprises me. This woman has been bounced off more wall than a squash ball while everyone see Paul as a hero. If I did a fraction of what he did to a woman I would loose my friends, most probably my family, and most of my life (and rightly so). But yet this man is still everyones hero. I dont want to demonize Gazza he gave me some wonderful memories but being a great footballer shouldnt mean he is immune from being judged the same as us all. The man needs help, though if he doesnt want it there is nothing that can be done to force him. Maybe before being critical of any of them we should think how we would feel if it was our sister/mother being beaten or our brother/father that has both addiction and mental health problems. Its a very sad story which doesnt look like having a great ending for any party
It's the kind of program I detest.
One bunch of muppets viewing the antics of another bunch.
Both viewers abd viewed are as sad as each other,
"Surviving Gaza" was how I read it while channel-hopping late last night.
But no, the programme was in fact called Surviving Gazza. A great deal more difficult, I'm sure.
I have never understood the cult of Paul Gascoigne. He has always embodied many of the worst and none of the best features of the North East. The only variation has been as to which bad features in particular.
That has varied as his (always rather modest) footballing ability has declined with ravages, not merely of age, but mostly of self-imposition.
I was sitting at that end of Wembley for THAT goal, best gift my dad could have given me!
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