Being the only biological son of Gazza – arguably England’s greatest-ever footballer – was always going to come with some form of pressure, and many thought Regan Gascoigne may succumb to the demons that have plagued dad Paul for decades.
But after watching him takeDancing On Iceby storm, it’s clear that, while Regan has inherited his father’s sporting talent, the 25 year old is determined to make sure his life goes in a very different direction.
And our sources say that he’s using the trauma he suffered over his dad’s issues to inspire him to stay out of trouble and achieve his full potential.
“Regan and Paul are very close and have a great father/son relationship,” our source explains.
“It’s not been easy and they’ve been through a lot, but Regan is so proud of how far his dad has come. 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.”
Gazza, 54, was in tears during Regan’s debut on the ice, which was the highest-ever score for an opening routine, and they have a strong bond. The former sports star – who has suffered with alcohol and drug issues for years, and nearly died from his addiction – split from Regan’s mum Sheryl when Regan was little, and admitted he had been abusive towards her.
Gazza is also adoptive dad to Sheryl’s children, Bianca and Mason, and while he has confessed that he’s not been the best parent in the past, things are different now.
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He told heat, “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, you know? Every time we’re together, we enjoy life. That’s what it’s all about. We enjoy each other’s company. He makes me laugh! Regan’s got good people around him – especially his mother – and he knows where I am, so he’s got me, as well. I’ll always be in his corner.”
And Regan says any problems they had are behind them, telling us, “I think one thing we learned is just that you can’t go over and over and over that stuff, do you know what I mean? I’m past that, it’s done, we’re different people to what we were back then. I’ve grown up, I see things differently. Dad’s different, too. We’re in a good place.”