Regan Gascoigne has become one of the favourites to win this year’s Dancing On Ice, wowing viewers - and the judges - with his natural talent on the rink.
The 25-year-old dancer is the son of England football legend Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne’, and he’s stealing the limelight from his famous father with his flawless and expressive routines on the ITV show.
Their relationship has been turbulent over the years, as Gazza fought addiction to alcohol and drugs, and almost died due to his issues.
He split from Regan’s mum Sheryl in 1998, and is also the adoptive dad to his ex-wife’s children Bianca and Mason, and Gazza has spoken proudly of his son’s achievements.
“I just make sure I’m there for him whenever he needs us, and luckily enough, he’s strong enough to look after himself now,” he told Heat magazine.
While Regan has inherited his dad’s incredible sporting talent, he’s reportedly determined to not follow his famous father down the same path of booze and drugs, and will be staying out of trouble.
“Regan and Paul are very close and have a great father/son relationship,” a source told Heat.
“Growing up with Gazza and his issues with alcohol has had an impact on Regan, but in a positive way - he has vowed that he will never self-destruct and has always been sensible with his choices,” they added.
The dancer, who came out as bisexual last year, is using the trauma he suffered over his dad’s issues with addiction to “inspire him to stay out of trouble.”
The ex-footballer, who has played for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Middlesbrough, and Rangers, was in the audience sobbing with pride as Regan took to the ice for the first time last month, and has spoken of his battle to get a grip on his demons.
But their relationship hasn’t always been rosy.
In 2019, he suffered a relapse over Christmas and paid £20,000 to have anti-alcohol pellets inserted into his stomach in an effort to battle his booze addiction, and last year, he spoke about drinking wine and beer and “enjoying life”.
In 2009, Regan confessed he wanted his alcoholic father out of his life, and was going to cut him off.
“He’s probably going to die soon. I don’t want to waste all my tears on him. I feel bad and sorry for him but it’s not our fault,” he fired.
However, they’ve since repaired their close bond, and now, Regan is full of praise for his father.
Last year, when the dancer came out as bisexual, he told Lorraine that Gazza had admired his deicsion to embrace his true self.
He said he was forced to text his dad to tell him about an upcoming article that was being published about his sexuality, which prompted Gazza to reply: “I still love you no matter what.”
Regan said any problems with his dad are well and truly behind them, and he said they’re “different people” now.
“I’m past that, it’s done,” he told Heat. “I’ve grown up, I see things differently. Dad’s different, too. We’re in a good place.”
