John Hartson has opened up on his ongoing recovery from a gambling addiction - admitting the problem used to control “every moment and every second of my life”.
The former Celtic, Arsenal and West Ham striker has not placed a bet for almost nine years now, with regular Gamblers Anonymous sessions helping him turn his life around.
And during Mental Health Awareness Week, Hartson has spoken candidly about his recovery from the addiction in an honest interview with talkSPORT . “The first time I went [to Gamblers Anonymous], in 2011, I’m not John Hartson in there, not John Hartson the ex-football player,” he said. “I’m John and that’s David and that’s Peter and that’s Stuart and that’s Michael.