"Wayne Lineker Opens Up About His Struggle with Alcohol: 'I Thought I Was Going to Die' After Years of 'Vodka for Breakfast'"

WAYNE Lineker has admitted he was “going to die” and was having “vodka for breakfast” during his years-long battle with booze.

The star, 63, has been open about his struggles with over the years and recently celebrated eight months of sobriety.

Wayne Lineker has revealed he was having vodka for breakfast during his battle with boozeCredit: Spencer Matthews Untapped He opened up to Spencer Matthews on his Untapped podcastCredit: Spencer Matthews Untapped

During an appearance on Spencer Matthews’ podcast Untapped, he recalled: “I thought I was going to die, it’s as simple as that, if I’d have carried on.

“There’s no way my body could have taken that amount of alcohol and .

“I’ve been trying to give up for years and years and years but in the industry I’m in it’s so difficult and it just got to a point where I was behaving badly and there was videos of me being released on the internet of me off my face.

“You just get caught up in this cartoon lifestyle you know, it’s not real, it’s just a fantasy,” he told the former star.

Spencer asked him: “How do you prevent slips of temptation?”

He responded: “I don’t feel the urge anymore. If I was coming to London for the day and I walked by, there would be no way I wouldn’t walk past that bar and pop in and have a vodka Red Bull, no way.

“I used to go and have my breakfast with a vodka Red Bull and then I’d be able to look at my phone because I was too anxious from the night before I drank it.

“When you’re drinking, you’re living off false energy, I call it fake energy.”

Wayne previously said his life has , having had his last drink in July last year.

He’s since swapped his partying lifestyle for a much quieter time in Essex after his son pulled him up on it.

The star, who has three sons Duane, 41, Sean, 33, and Freddie, 21 and daughter Tia, 27, said that his drinking was taking its toll on his family.

Wayne, who also has three grandchildren, said he had a wake up call when his son Duane told him it was no longer safe for him to pick his grandkids up from school due to his drinking.

“It became a burden on the family, Duane is very sensible and looked after me when I was in Ibiza.

“But he called me in the office one day and said, ‘Dad, we can’t let you pick the girls up from school any more… sorry’, he told the Mail.

The businessman hasn’t had a drink in eight monthsCredit: Instagram

“I understood, but it was a big turning point for me. It hit me like a ton of bricks.”

Wayne then checked himself into The Priory facility, a popular facility that helps celebrities with their addictions, for six weeks.

“I was not behaving well and I didn’t feel good. I didn’t feel healthy and it finally caught up with me.’

After years of being in denial, Wayne said he was pulled up on it by his business partners, who insisted he get help.

Wayne admitted going to rehab was the best decision of his life – but he’s now looking for someone to enjoy it with.

Wayne – who has been single for eight years after splitting with his ex fiance Danielle Sandhu, 33, after four years together -said he is now looking for the right woman to complete him.

He said about his love life: “I had a beautiful relationship with my ex, and I just found it difficult to replace her.

“She was just perfect. She ended up getting a modelling career, and I was seeing less of her.”

He’s since curved his partying lifestyle in Ibiza for a quieter life in EssexCredit: Instagram @waynelineker