Author Topic: Gascoigne's suicide bid (saved from hotel bath) (Read 81 times)

Elano · « **on:** May 05, 2008, 04:50:52 AM »

SUICIDAL Paul Gascoigne horrified hotel staff by cancelling his order for a steak — then asking them to bring just the KNIFE.

The fallen England soccer legend, who had shaved off all his hair, made the drunken request yesterday soon after checking into a £232 room.
But worried room service workers refused after guessing he intended to slash his wrists. And within minutes police were called to the room — where Gazza then tried to DROWN himself in the bath as astonished cops looked on. The sad former Newcastle and Lazio star, diagnosed with manic depression eight months ago, was taken to hospital, where he was having mental tests last night.

Gazza, 40, began his latest self-destruct mission after checking into the posh Millennium Hotel in Sloane Street, central London.He had spent the previous night at the nearby Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where he demanded that shocked staff get him COCAINE. The troubled Geordie arrived at the Millennium at 1pm, wearing a leopard-print leather jacket and clutching half a bottle of gin.
He demanded a suite but, when told none was available, booked his room with a credit card. An onlooker said: "He was extremely loud and staggering drunk, not making much sense at all." Once in the room, chain-smoking Gazza swigged the gin and rang through to room service for more booze — but staff refused to get it for him.

The insider added: "He then rang down for a steak, but a few minutes later cancelled it, saying they should just bring him the steak knife.
"The staff said, ‘No way’ and immediately began to fear for his safety. Gazza kept trying to reassure everyone by saying he was speaking to his psychiatrist.
"It was about 90 minutes after he checked in and the hotel decided to call the police. "About ten officers arrived and went to his room. It was in complete darkness. There were cigarette ends lying around and the gin bottle was on the floor. "The officers then heard splashing noises from the bathroom. When Gazza heard the officers, he shouted, ‘I’ve ordered cocaine — I want cocaine’. "The police went in and he was naked in the bath with the water a couple of inches from the top. The taps were still running. He told them if he couldn’t kill himself by slashing his wrists, he would drown himself. "Then he held his shaven head under the water. The police dipped in to pull him up and hauled him out the bath. He was extremely emotional and distressed, crying his eyes out. "They made him dress and marched him to the hotel reception. He was out of it, shouting that he did not want to go with them, and that he was going to call his psychiatrist. Outside the hotel he refused to get in the van and began scuffling with the officers. At one stage they told him he was being sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
"He calmed down when they agreed he could be taken to a local hospital without handcuffs."

Gazza, a midfield legend with England and Spurs in the late 1980s and 90s, was believed to have been taken to London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Scotland Yard confirmed that a man had been taken away from the hotel voluntarily. A spokesman said: "A man was causing concern at hotel premises and was taken to hospital for assessment. No offences were committed."

The episode capped a bizarre weekend for the former footballer, who left Kensington’s Royal Garden Hotel on Saturday after setting off fire alarms by smoking in his room.
At one point on Saturday, he visited the Cobella Akqa hair salon in Kensington High Street to have his blond locks dyed bright RED.He looked frail as he was guided back across the street by a crimper. Gazza wore a leather beanie hat to hide his new look. But he clearly did not like the dye job because within hours he had completely shaved his head.
He was later seen out and about — with his newly-bared bonce again hidden by his hat.

Last night it emerged Gazza has paid a taxi driver £300 for a fare he allegedly dodged. The star owed cabbie Hanzale Aziz, 30, the cash after a trip from the North East to the Midlands.
Gazza hailed the cab after missing his train to a charity bash in Birmingham in March.
The cabbie, from Newcastle, said: "He was irrational — friendly one moment, aggressive the next. "At one point he was trying to defrost a frozen curry or Chinese dish in the back of the cab.
"But he’s been through a lot and I don’t have any bad feeling towards him. Like everyone else, I just want to see him get better."