Paul Gascoigne at Mirror Group hacking trial: 'And people can't understand why I became an alcoholic'

The footballer told High Court that Mirror hacking was 'disgusting'

Paul Gascoigne on BT Sport (BT Sport)

Paul Gascoigne has told the High Court in London that he "knew" he was "getting hacked by the Mirror" and said he'd waited "15 years to be sat here".

The former footballer, who has had a public battle with alcoholism, is complaining about 18 articles published by the tabloid. Every story is accepted to be the product of illegal activity.

David Sherborne questioned Gascoigne, and has said that hacking was rife at three Mirror Group Newspapers titles in 1999.

"I knew I was getting hacked by the Mirror," Gascoigne said while being questioned. "This continued for ages. Phone calls to my father and family were getting blocked so I changed my mobile. It happened again so I kept on changing mobiles, five or six times a month."

He added: "I couldn't speak to anybody, I was scared to speak to anybody... my parents, my family and kids, it was just horrendous.

"And people can't understand why I became an alcoholic."

"At the time I was going through a bad time because I knew I was getting hacked, 110 per cent. Of course [people] wouldn't believe it - my family and Mr McKeown [therapist Johnny McKeown].

"As I was speaking to him on the phone, it clicked again. He told me I was paranoid, I was going through a mental disorder.

"I said 'No, there's f**k-all wrong with me'. I knew, I knew. I put the phone down... I've never told a lie, nothing to lie about, nothing.

"Disgusting. Crap."

Additional reporting by Press Association