By Ben Barry
A bystander turned Good Samaritan to help his “hero” Gazza – after the star was found “battered and bruised” outside his hotel.
Terry Swinton, 54, was staying in the Travelodge Bournemouth Seafront hotel when he walked outside for a cigarette.
To his surprise, he looked up to see his “hero” Paul Gascoigne, known as Gazza, looking battered and bruised arguing with two people.
Terry said although he didn’t witness a fight, he said it was clear from his injuries something had happened to him.
He then walked over to stop the argument and offered Gazza £10 for a taxi home, which he said the two people with him tried to take.
Terry then brought Gazza back into the hotel to sober him up, sat with him for 10 minutes and left him with hotel staff.
Terry, a newspaper proprietor, from Clerkenwell, London, said: “I went downstairs for a fag during the football and immediately recognised who he was.
“He is a hero of mine, when I saw him I was heartbroken to be honest.
“Men of a certain age, we all know who he is, we have grown up with him.”
Terry was staying in the Travelodge Bournemouth Seafront hotel while he was watching Arsenal vs West Ham on December 28.
At half-time, he popped out for a cigarette where he spotted football legend Gazza surrounded by two people.
Terry added: “The two people around him were trying to take money off him.
“I didn’t have any money on me but I went back upstairs to get him some money to get a taxi home.
“When I went to hand him the money, the man and woman tried to take it and I told them to do one and told Gazza to get inside.”
Terry sat with Gazza for around 10 minutes and said he was “physically battered”.
“He couldn’t string a sentence together he was physically and mentally battered,” Terry said.
“I made sure the two people didn’t take anything off him and went back upstairs to watch the football.
“When I went up to watch the football I wasn’t interested, I kept thinking of Gazza.
“I am old school, if you see someone in trouble I would make sure they got home alright.
“It just so happened to be Paul Gascoigne.”
Terry believes that Gazza then spent the night in the hotel and was still in the hotel reception when he came down for a morning smoke.
He said: “I said good morning to him and asked him how he was feeling.
“He could still barely string a sentence together.
“As someone who has grown up with him, I was heartbroken to see him this way.”
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