Former Villa player Gary Charles opens up about his alcohol addiction

Former Villa legend Gary Charles has revealed how it's been eight years since he touched a drop of alcohol.

The former England star, who also played for Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, and Birmingham City, revealed that he turned to drink when injuries blighted his career.

The defender admits he loved his career at Villa, which stretched from 1995 to 1999, but admits he lost the ability to control drinking during spells at Portuguese club Benfica and West Ham where he was blighted by a vicious circle of injuries that were the catalyst for benders.

Gary, who now lives in Derby, had a six -month spell in prison 11 years ago, for dangerous driving and failing to provide a breath sample.

He entered rehab in 2007, but admits that the battle is on-going.

Gary is now director of football at Nottingham University, and decided to break his silence in a bid to help other sports men and women, particularly footballers, who are caught in the twilight world of addiction.

The 45-year-old has also teamed up with clinical consultant Mike Delaney. the therapist who helped him tame his own demons, to launch Priority Health Care, dedicated to stemming the growing tide of addiction, anxiety and simple burn out.

As well as that, Gary is taking an Open University degree on substance abuse and a counselling course.