Legendary England goalkeeper Peter Shilton has toasted his New Year’s gong after receiving a CBE for services to football and gambling harm prevention.
Shilton, 74, is the Three Lions’ most capped male player with 125 games, playing for the national team for 20 years and at three successive World Cups, 1982, 1986 and 1990.
While in the role he was a part of some of the game’s most famous sporting moments – including Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘hand of God’ goal in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, which effectively knocked England out of the tournament.
But Shilton is not only known for his record in goal, and has bravely spoken up about his ‘all consuming’ gambling addiction of 45 years where he lost £800,000 to Betfair alone.
He credits his wife Stephanie, who he met in 2012 after he had split from his first wife, with saving his life.
Goalkeeper Peter Shilton, 74, toasts his new CBE for services to football and gambling harm prevention
He credits his wife Stephanie (right), who he met in 2012 after he had split from his first wife, with saving his life from a devastating gambling addiction
Mr Shilton is England’s most capped male player with 125 games, playing for the national team for 20 years and at three successive World Cups, 1982, 1986 and 1990. Pictured: Diving to save by the post in 1973
While in the role he was a part of some of the game’s most famous sporting moments – including Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘hand of God’ goal in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, which effectively knocked England out of the tournament
The former NHS manager and jazz singer, who lives with Mr Shilton in Essex, said watching the England legend’s withdrawal after she confronted him was like watching a drug addict go cold turkey
In a column for the Daily Mail he wrote: ‘Once the habit became all-consuming, I was lost. If I hadn’t had the good fortune to meet my wonderful wife Steph — who will also tell you her side of the story — I don’t think I would be here.’
The former NHS manager and jazz singer, who lives with Mr Shilton in Essex, said watching his withdrawal after she confronted him was like watching a drug addict go cold turkey.
‘There were times when I cried myself to sleep,’ she told the Mirror. ‘People don’t think of it as a health problem, but it’s like heroin addiction.’
‘I’d seen people go through drug withdrawal and it was exactly the same – the restlessness, inability to concentrate and hot sweats.’
She now works with gambling addiction charity Gordon Moody as lead developer for family and friends of addicts.
Over a 30-year career, Mr Shilton played for 11 clubs and twice won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest.
He holds the world record for most competitive football appearances at 1,387.
The legendary footballer has now been clean for nearly a decade, releasing a book about his road from addiction with his wife in 2021.
Mr Shilton believes his addiction may span back to seeing his father win big while on holiday as a child.
The legendary footballer has now been clean for nearly a decade, releasing a book about his road from addiction with his wife in 2021
Over a 30-year career, Mr Shilton played for 11 clubs and twice won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest. Pictured: Kissing the trophy after Forest beat Hamburg to win the 1980 European Cup
He finally kicked the addiction when Ms Shilton walked in on him secretly calling his agent asking for a fast-track payment after spending his free disposable income on failed bets
While he had some huge wins in his time – winning as much as £40,000 on a £1,000 bet – he emotionally told how every penny went back to the bookies.
Despite being one of the highest paid footballers of his time and even having five racehorses of his own, he admitted that he sometimes needed extra time to raise the money after maxing out his cards.
On one single day in the 1990s, he lost £20,000.
He finally kicked the addiction when Ms Shilton walked in on him secretly calling his agent asking for a fast-track payment after spending his free disposable income on failed bets.
As he faced up to lising the ‘most important’ thing in his life he realised he ‘couldn’t lose her, so the gambling had to go’, and the only thing he could do was walk out on it.
He continued: ‘Gambling had become the main preoccupation of my life. I was living on my own, so when I wasn’t working I had the freedom to stay up most of the night betting after an afternoon online.’