The sister of former Crystal Palace star Kenny Sansom told Jeremy Kyle how the self-confessed alcoholic turned up drunk and collapsed at their mother’s funeral.
Sansom appeared on the show for a celebrity intervention with his sister Mary who hoped the drastic measure would persuade the 57-year-old footballing legend to get help in rehab.
The dad-of-three, who began his career at Crystal Palace, has battled an addiction with drink for the last three decades.
Proclaimed as one of club’s finest youth players, he signed for Crystal Palace at around 16-years-old, appearing 172 times, as well as playing for England from 1979.
In June last year Sansom spent the night behind bars in Bromley after drinking five bottles of wine.
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During the show an emotional Sansom accepted he was an alcoholic, and told Jeremy Kyle he wanted to apologise to those he had let down.
He said: “I'm here to first of all tell people that I've let down to say sorry.
“I'm going to try and do something for them, but I'm sorry I've let a lot of people down.”
The London-born grandfather said he enjoys getting drunk to forget about his problems, adding “because I'm a coward and I'm scared of life”.
Speaking about their mother’s funeral last year when family members were forced to call an ambulance for him, Mary said his actions were “selfish”.
She said: “Kenny turned up drunk, making a show of yourself, but everybody accepted it because as Kenny sees it it’s normal to be drunk.
“We were all grieving, again the focus was on him.”
Kenny Sansom appears on Jeremy Kyle (c.) ITV.
His sister’s hopes to get Kenny into a 12-week rehab centre seemed unsuccessful during the show, when he refused to go, insisting he was “scared”.
But the ITV show’s resident psychotherapist Graham Stanier, who kept in touch with Sansom after the show, was eventually able to convince him into therapy.
Sansom took to social media to thank fans who’ve shown their support following his appearance on the show.
After the show was aired, he tweeted: “Thanks for the kind messages & support. Thanks to Jeremy I've had 3 months rehab and proud to say I've graduated. In a good place.”
He said he hopes to inspire others battling alcoholism.
Last week Sansom wrote: “I've been sober for 14 weeks & 1 day. Tomorrow will be my 100th day sober.
“Feeling alright, hoping to feel good soon & then very good.”
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