Paul Merson reveals his wife gives him an allowance after he gambled away their home deposit during lockdown

ENGLAND legend Paul Merson says his wife gives him an allowance to stop him betting — after he gambled away their home deposit during lockdown.

The ex-Arsenal player, 53, said pandemic fears over loss of earnings made him try to win cash to buy a house — but he lost.

He said: “I lost it all. I lost everything. I didn’t tell Kate at first.

“For the next week or so, I used to look at the kids and I used to hate myself with a passion.

“I thought, ‘I just want to kill myself. How did you do that? How could you take their security?’”.

Now wife Kate sets him a strict spending limit for just fuel and basic shopping.

Merse, who tonight fronts a new BBC documentary called Paul Merson: Football, Gambling & Me, said: “I was resentful at first, like, ‘How dare you? I’m over 50 years of age’. I’m more than happy now.

“When I stopped drinking I took all the drink out of the house. Why not with gambling?”

The dad of eight, who spent his £7million career earnings on his addictions, does not have a wallet and has a block on his phone to stop him gambling.