GMB presenter Adil Ray was criticised by viewers on Wednesday’s show after his ‘inappropriate’ joke to Paul Gascoigne amid the footballer’s battle with alcoholism.
The host, 47, asked the sporting star, 53, how he can remember Italian after playing for football team Lazio in the 90s and a ‘few tipples’ in his life.
Paul has been in and out of rehab due to alcohol-related problems since retiring from football in 2004.
Criticised: GMB presenter Adil Ray was criticised by viewers on Wednesday’s show after his ‘inappropriate’ joke to Paul Gascoigne amid the footballer’s battle with alcoholism
The former footballer appeared on Wednesday’s Good Morning Britain to talk about his time on the Italian take of I’m A Celebrity called L’Isola dei Famosi where he spoke in Italian to Adil and co-host Susanna Reid at the start.
Talking after his impressive language skills, Adil made an ‘inappropriate’ joke as he said: ‘Thanks for translating the Susanna bit because I wasn’t sure what that was. Gazza, it’s amazing, though.
‘You spent how many years – three seasons, three years and that’s where you picked [speaking Italian] up and held onto it.
‘That was quite some time ago as well and you’ve had a few tipples since then as well so to keep that in you is really impressive!’
‘Inappropriate’: The host, 47, asked the sporting star, 53, how he can remember Italian after playing for team Lazio in the 90s and a ‘few tipples’ in his life
Viewers were quick to criticise Adil for the ‘tipples’ remark as they branded it ‘inappropriate’ and ‘awkward’ due to Paul’s battle with alcoholism.
One person said: ‘That was inappropriate from Adil there towards Paul Gascoigne.’
A different viewer said: ‘Adil having a little dig about Gazza’s drinking there. Awkward that #GMB.’
Another fan put: ‘I really don’t think it’s okay for @adilray to say to someone who has had serious battles with drink problems, almost costing his life “and you’ve had a few tipples since then.” How rude. #GMB.’
While a different account added: ‘Why is it acceptable for the presenter to say “you’ve had a few tipples” to someone who has publicly battled alcoholism for 30 years? Aren’t we supposed to be stopping this kind of thing?’
Criticism: Viewers were quick to criticise Adil for the remark as they branded it ‘inappropriate’ and ‘awkward’ due to Paul’s battle with alcoholism
In February, Paul, often nicknamed Gazza, revealed that he’s back on the booze amid his battle with alcoholism, confessing: ‘I’ll always be an alcoholic.’
Paul told The Sun: ‘I’ll always be an alcoholic, but now I can have a couple of glasses of wine — and I have a few beers. Not every day, but when I want to.
‘I only ever drink when . . . well, put it this way — if I want a drink I’ll have a drink. If I don’t want one I’ll just leave it, which is not the right thing, but I’ve been like that for ages.
‘I don’t trust spirits so I keep away from them, but I’m on top of things at the moment. I’m enjoying life.’
Battle: Paul has been in and out of rehab due to alcohol-related problems since retiring from football in 2004
In January 2020, Paul appeared on This Morning where he told Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid at the time: ‘I had a relapse at Christmas, which I was gutted [about], but I’ve just got back on the straight and narrow again.’
The same month, he told The Mirror: ‘I’ve been to Australia, and spent £20,000 including all the travel, to get an operation that stops me drinking.
‘You get pellets in your stomach and it makes you feel sick if you have too much. It means you can have a beer or a glass of wine and socialise, but you cannot have any more.’
The football legend has been in and out of rehab due to alcohol-related problems since retiring from football in 2004.
In April, Paul was forced to quit the Italian take of I’m A Celebrity called L’Isola dei Famosi after enduring persistent shoulder pain after dislocating it.
The football legend made a return to the reality series, which is filmed in Cayos Cochinos, Honduras, in Central America, in March after he was rushed to the hospital when he injured himself during an endurance game.
Talking about his time on the show during Wednesday’s interview, Paul said: ‘The good thing is, I’ve had loads of operations and I knew when I got to the hospital that I was going to get some food here and a coffee and cigarettes, I’m more than happy.’
During his stint on the show following his injury, Paul was forced to wear a sling to help with his recovery and the footballer said that he smuggled food onto the island.
He said: ‘That sling you see there, I hid in there 5 biscuits. I remember the doctor saying “Paul, we need to put that sling on properly” and I said: “No, don’t touch it, it’s ok” I was more worried about losing the five biscuits!’
Reflecting on his time on the show, Paul continued: ‘I remember when I spoke to them about doing the show with Katie my manager, and they said 10 weeks on an island and I thought: “Oh fantastic, a holiday.”
‘But when I got in and I had to sign a contract and they told me no cigarettes and no caffeine, well this isn’t going to be a holiday.’
Speaking about his well-being, Paul added: ‘Now, it’s ok. I thought once I got out of the island, I’m going to eat and have a coffee. But I didn’t fancy it to be fair.
‘It was a great experience. I did have arguments with them [the other celebrities] but it was because they were complaining about not wanting a bit of rice and you look at what’s happening around the world. In general, I thought I did well.’
If you need confidential help with a drinking problem, call Alcoholics Anonymous free on 0800 9177 650 or email [email protected].