England football legend Tony Adams is currently taking part in the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Adams is 56 years old and was born in Romford, Essex. He played for and captained Arsenal in three separate decades.
The Premier League great has struggled massively despite a stellar sporting career. He's now sober and healthy, but what's his story?
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Superstar status
He made his Arsenal debut in 1983 aged 17, and played for them until he retired in 2002.
Adams is considered to be one of the greatest English defenders of all time. He captained England and earned 66 caps for his country, and was also skipper of Arsenal.
The central defender won four first division titles (2xPrem, 2x First Division), two league cups, three FA Cups and two super cups during his time with the North London outfit.
He also steered England to a number of famous victories including their famous 4-1 thrashing of Netherlands at Euro 1996 where he was captain.
Drink and drugs
Adams has suffered with alcoholism and also had issues using drugs.
His problems started at just 17, as he used alcohol to cope with an injury that kept him out of action early in his career.
Speaking to talkSPORT back in 2020, Adams said he has been clean since the late 1990s.
"I’m 24 years without a drink or a drug inside me,” said Adams.
“It’s not part of my being today, it’s not a thing. It’s been removed from me.
“I still check in and go to regular AA meetings and keep it fresh, because we are human beings and we can forget. We’ve got ‘romantic recall’ they call it, when we think of only the good times."
Heavy drinking was a feature throughout Adams' career. He has talked about the culture being very prominent during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Despite making his debut in 1983, it took until 1996 - the age of 30 - before he sobered up. Arsenal won the league in 1991 and they went on to win it again in 1998. The talismanic defender thinks the two are linked.
"In that time we became a very good cup team. It had an affect on me where I could get up for the cup games, but week-in, week-out it was taking its toll. Playing on a Saturday and again on a Tuesday got really difficult at the end of my drinking."
He turned up to one match drunk, against Sheffield United, but still picked up the Man-Of-The-Match award.
"I remember looking out of the window thinking 'how did that happen?' I was so confused. There was no point sobering up because I'd have had a complete headache, so I had a couple in the morning." he told ESPNcricinfo.
Going to prison
In 1990, Adams spent 57 days in Chelmsford Prison for a drink driving offence.
He crashed into a wall and was four times the legal limit. When he came out of prison he had bottles and carrots (he was nicknamed Donkey) thrown at him, as per The Express.
"For 12 years I was drinking, and for 11 and a half I didn't want to stop," he told ESPNcricinfo.
"The denial was really strong, and the consequences too, but even a spell in Chelmsford prison down the road didn't stop me drinking. I came out of prison and drunk and drove again. The denial was still in me and I wasn't ready."
Coming out on the other side
His sobriety journey started after Euro '96, and he set up the Sporting Chance Clinic four years later, to offer players mental and emotional support.
The clinic has actually helped over 400 rugby league stars since 2011.
In 2018, Adams received the Global Football Ambassador award at the 'Football Business Awards' for his efforts with Sporting Chance.
Marriage and relationships
Adams has been married to his second wife, Poppy, since 2004. The couple have three children together. Adams also has two children with first wife, Jane Shea, who he married in 1992 before divorce in 1997.
He famously dated model Caprice for four months in 1999. In his autobiography, Sober, Adams wrote: "I don’t think it was purely physical – and there were plenty who would say I was punching above my weight... I liked her very much. She was an honest and sincere woman. And, I have to say, I felt like a king in the company of this beautiful woman.
"In the end, though, I knew I would have to end the relationship due to the lack of emotional connection.
"It felt like an act, that she was playing a game before and after she met me. The honesty and sincerity I saw initially got lost behind the facade. I did have second thoughts – and there is always regret when a relationship ends. But I knew it was right to move on. Sex can be such a drug and could have kept me in the relationship."
Strictly journey so far
Adams' start to the show was stuttered, and many feared he wouldn't last long at all, but he has improved week after week.
When the show began, the odds on Adams winning the competition were 100/1. However, they have recently been slashed to 40/1, via William Hill.
Heading into week five of the iconic BBC show, Adams will be hopeful his progress continues. There are 11 contestants left including the former Arsenal man, with three people being eliminated already.
The show features the likes of Will Mellor, Ellie Simmonds and Helen Skelton.
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