Bruno 'very sorry' he took cocaine

Frank Bruno, the former world heavyweight boxing champion, apologised last night after admitting that he had slipped back into taking cocaine.

A statement issued by his agent said: "Frank has said that he is very sorry this has happened. He has apologised to his family. He would also like to apologise to his friends and fans. This will not happen again."

This news followed revelations in The Sun yesterday, where the 44-year-old father of four admitted: "I got high on the stuff and I am deeply ashamed. I have promised my daughters I will never touch the filthy stuff again ­ and it's a promise I intend to keep."

Bruno has spoken before of how he took the class A drug for six months in 2000. "Taking it was the worst thing I could have done in my mental condition." He was sectioned under the Mental Health Act in September 2003 and treated for bipolar disorder.

Bruno became the WBC world heavyweight champion in 1995. The next year, 660,000 people watched his title fight against Mike Tyson, after which he retired from boxing.