FORMER top footballer and recovering alcoholic Paul Gascoigne is working out in the gym twice a day as he prepares to go on a national tour with fellow England great Jimmy Greaves.

The pair have been teamed up by Christchurch-based promoter Terry Baker, and will be making their first joint appearance in Bourne-mouth on June 18.

Although Gazza, who has been receiving help from the Providence Projects since last year, has previously given more than 20 talks, this will be his first time in a theatre. “It’s quite exciting – it keeps us busy,” he told the Daily Echo.

“I’ve done a few of these before when I was busy playing. It’s nice giving something back to the fans. They bought my house and car through putting money through the turnstiles.”

He added: “I think I will be nervous at first, which is normal. I like being nervous because you know something good is going to happen. When I was playing I was never scared of my opponents, I was just nervous in case we got beaten.”

During the show, he plans to talk about some of his “mad” exploits on and off the pitch, but he is particularly looking forward to the question and answer section.

“People ask some crazy questions. One was ‘What is it like scoring a goal?’ I did a talk in front of 750 women once – that was good fun.

“What it is more than anything is having fun again in life. I didn’t have much of that when I wasn’t playing football. I didn’t plan anything for when I packed it in. I should have planned. I took to the drink.”

Both he and Greavsie played for Tottenham Hotspur and England, and both have battled a drink problem. Greaves has been sober for 33 years.

Gazza recalls the former television pundit criticising him when he was still playing. “He gave me stick for eating Mars Bars and drinking Newcastle Brown.”

On one occasion, he remembers a crowd throwing about 500 of the bars on to the pitch when he was playing.

Although he has been through rehab several times before, he points out that he has previously managed to stay sober for three years and didn’t drink for half of last year. “I got involved in a car crash and got fed up. I got drunk for about six weeks and got pressure to go into rehab.

“I’ve done it for other people before. Now I’ve done it for myself. Something about this one seems to work,” he said.

“It’s a good atmosphere around Bournemouth and Boscombe.

“Everyone seems cheerful all the time. People have been really nice.

“I’m up at five every morning getting ready for the gym. Now the obsession to drink has gone, I’ve been doing two sessions a day for the last two months. I’m trying to feel good about myself.”