ENGLAND icon Paul Gascoigne has made a surprise cameo in TNT Sports’ latest trailer – filmed just weeks before his shock hospital dash.
The star-studded advert – filmed mid-June – is believed to be his last public appearance before he was dramatically rushed to hospital last week.
7
7
7
7
The former Spurs, Lazio and Rangers player, 58, appears alongside footballing royalty in the 60-second clip.
Titled ‘This is not normal’, the trailer also features Chelsea starboy Cole Palmer and Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.
Gascoigne is regarded as one of the greatest playmakers of his generation, with a stellar club and international career – and he plays an equally crucial role in the broadcaster’s advert.
Gazza – renowned for his crazy antics both on and off the field – is seen sitting on a sofa next to an eager Paris Saint-Germain fan.
He hilariously calms down the over-excited fan, who is shown celebrating the French club’s recent Champions League triumph throughout the night.
Keeping an uncharacteristically straight face, Gazza jokes: “That’s not normal, mate”.
TNT Sports often have an ad filled with football legends ahead of the season – with former Real Madrid ace Gareth Bale appearing once again in the commercial.
It comes as the footballing great was rushed to hospital last week after he was discovered collapsed by a pal at his home in Poole, Dorset on Friday evening.
Gazza was admitted to an intensive care ward but has now been moved to an acute medical unit where his condition was described as stable.
He remains in a hospital near his home, and is expected to stay there for several days for treatment.
His friend Steve Foster passed on a message for the Spurs legend and said he was in the “best possible place” as he continues his recovery.
Steve said Gazza would “like to thank everyone for the support he’s received so far from so many old friends who wish him well and want to see him back to his best”.
He added: “Paul is in hospital, which is the best possible place for him to be right now.”
Last night, Steve said: “Paul is stable now but is still very poorly.”
He has been posing for selfies with fans while he was recovering.
His pal added: “It shows how popular and loved he still is by fans everywhere.
“I can’t walk down the street with him without him being stopped – it’s crazy.”
The sad star’s plight horrified pal Steve, who found him semi-conscious at 1.30pm on Friday in the bedroom of his home in Poole, Dorset.
Gazza was said to have been “upset” by a disagreement with a business associate and the shutdown of his company, which he launched to run his public appearance business.
The much-loved icon’s family and football pals rallied round to support him as word spread of the medical emergency – said to be the worst he has faced.
His reality star daughter Bianca, his two sisters and ex footballer pals Peter Beardsley, Paul Merson and Vinnie Jones were being kept informed of his condition.
Soccer hero Paul – capped 57 times and a scorer of ten goals for the Three Lions between 1988 and 1998 – is expected to remain in hospital “for some time.”
Steve told how Gazza has recently taken to spontaneous acts of kindness to cheer himself up.
Days before his collapse, he suddenly decided to help out homeless people he spotted while out walking in Bournemouth near his seaside home.
Steve said: “He suddenly went to a cash machine, drew out £500 and started handing out money to all the homeless people he could find.
“He said there were a lot of people worse off than him and wanted to help them out. He was given away anything between £20 and £50 at a time saying: ‘Get yourself a meal.’
“That’s the kind of bloke Paul is and why so many people who know him hope he can get well.”
Another source close to Gazza told the Sun: “What happened over the weekend was incredibly serious.
7
7
“Thank God Steve found him when he did, because he urgently needed help and intervention at that point.
“There’s concern among Paul’s friends and family that he won’t be well enough to live on his own for a long time – he will certainly need someone at his side for the next few weeks.
“He’s going to need a lot of help and support to get over this.”
The source added: “Paul still spends a lot of time out and on the road attending events and meeting fans at boozy dinners and awards nights.
“It’s a rollercoaster lifestyle with lots of temptation there. But over the last few months Paul’s been doing OK and managing to keep his demons at bay.
“He’s got a lot of support and goodwill and unlike in the past, where people were always buying him drinks and egging him on, that simply doesn’t happen now.
“The whole world knows that Paul can’t be drinking. All his pals are praying he can pull through this.”
Gascoigne has been represented for years by booking agent Katie Davies but she has now stepped back from regular involvement in his day-to-day life.
Businessman Mr Foster – who runs a football memorabilia site with links to soccer heroes – now manages Gazza’s public speaking dates and drives him to venues.
The personal assistant – who visited the soccer great at Poole Hospital today – told the Sun: “He’s been sleeping a lot of the time but is making progress and has managed to eat something.
“He read The Sun’s report and has been given a boost by all the messages of support.
“No date has been set for his hospital discharge yet – he’s just taking one day at a time and focusing on getting well.”
