Home Top

EXCLUSIVE How the first marriage of Bristol Palin's hero marine ex fell apart: Bride said she 'made a terrible mistake' and fled Hawaii and Dakota Meyer just months after they wed because of his PTSD
Huckabee DEFENDS the Duggars after revelations Josh molested girls and his parents covered it up - but who else from the family's decade of stumping for Christian conservatives will speak out?
'I acted inexcusably': Josh Duggar breaks silence about molesting young girls when he was a teen as his parents claim the scandal 'drew the family closer to God'
Mama June threatens to sue TLC for not axing Duggar show following child molestation scandal (as the network air 19 Kids And Counting marathon)
'We all have skeletons in our closet': Commenters swamp Josh Duggar's Instagram account to DEFEND him
'It's a lie': Kidnapping victim Hannah Anderson left furious at Lifetime movie which raises 'questions about the nature of her relationship' with abductor 'Uncle Jim' who killed her mom and brother
Sleep on silk pillows, smile at strangers and cut toxic friends from your life: The life hacks that will add 10 YEARS to your life
Memorial Day on ice? Canadian cold snap will bring frost to the Northeast and send temperatures plunging into the 20s... but thankfully it's not here to stay
Salmonella outbreak linked to raw tuna sickens 53 people in nine states
Angry protests in Washington after cop shoots two unarmed stepbrothers accused of stealing beer
Hillary's friend Sid will co-operate with secret emails probe: Blumenthal agrees to testify after getting Benghazi subpoena
Clinton Foundation admits receiving $26.4MILLION in undisclosed payments from foreign governments, universities and financial institutions
Suspect wanted for quadruple murder of CEO and his family busted with a box truck full of cash: Dramatic late night DC arrest of local welder and his five 'accomplices'
How murdered maid spent 13 years sending money home to her children in El Salvador to pay for their education
'I'll drop you one by one': Chilling threat suspect in DC family murder was accused of making to landlord
Elle under fire after refusing to sell controversial cover of supermodel breastfeeding her young son in shops
Husband of murdered maid reveals how he knocked on door of DC mansion at time of attack but left after receiving a bizarre cell phone call from inside saying his wife wasn't there
'Help. Officer down. We need people': Frantic police radio captures the fatal shooting of detective and new mom who was working her last shift before welcoming her premature daughter home from hospital
The cackling parrot that sounds like a super-villain! Bird's evil chuckle has its owner howling with laughter
Courtesans, samurai and tender family scenes: Stunning color photos of Edo-era Japan dating from 1863 to go on display
Baltimore Grand Jury indicts six police officers in death of Freddie Gray
Airbus engineer killed himself after becoming obsessed with 'irrational' idea that he caused AirAsia plane crash which killed 162 people
Boy genius, 11, graduates from college and now wants to become a doctor, a medical researcher... oh, and President of the United States
Man, 29, who arranged for his lover to shoot dead his wife in front of their toddler son is sentenced to life in prison - as judge says he is 'beyond redemption'

Tearful Calum Best reflects on traumatic relationship with late father George as he blames football legend's alcoholism for his own issues in previously unseen video

Published: 04:50 EST, 22 May 2015 | Updated: 06:27 EST, 22 May 2015

View
comments

An emotionally charged interview has emerged in which Calum Best blames his late father's chronic alcoholism for his own underlying personal issues.

The previously unseen video, which was filmed in 2008, sees the media personality reflect on the rift former Manchester United and Northern Ireland striker George Best's drinking had on their relationship and, ultimately, his upbringing.

He said: 'I always used to think to myself (is it my fault)? I tried to learn to blame it on the booze. I tried to say that’s the darkness thing, that’s like the heroin addict, alcoholic.

Scroll down for video

Emotionally charged: Calum Best blames his late father's chronic alcoholism for his own underlying personal issues in a previously unseen video filmed in 2008

'But then I’d sometimes be annoyed and think, "Why didn’t my old man, if he loved me enough, why didn’t he stop drinking? Was I not worth it?"

He added: 'That always got to me because I always thought, "Jesus, is it my fault? Am I driving my dad to drink?"

'My mum luckily enough, was there to reassure me, no, it’s the alcohol, the alcohol takes over like a demon.'

Calum spoke candidly during the interview with Hilary Henriques, the CEO of charity National Association of Children of Alcoholics (NACOA).

Calum Best talks about dad's alcoholism in 2008 video

Opening up: Calum spoke candidly during the interview with Hilary Henriques, the CEO of charity National Association of Children of Alcoholics (NACOA)

Reflecting on the absence of a father figure, he admitted to developing his own issues as a result.

'As much of a great person as he was... I had a father who was an alcoholic, who was never there for me and it affects me in the long term,' he said. 'I have some deep, dark issues now because of not having my dad around.

'I was always thinking "Why doesn’t he love me?" I would come from the US to the UK and people would say "Oh no he’s been talking about you coming for ages, he can’t wait to see you", and then I would show up and he’d go on a bender.

'He would go on a serious bender and then some bad things would happen and I would think "Ah Jesus, well did I just drive him to drink even harder?"

Devastating: The previously unseen video sees the media personality reflect on the rift former Manchester United and Northern Ireland striker George Best's drinking had on their relationship and, ultimately, his upbringing

He added: 'I hear every day "You’re father’s a legend", and sometimes I say to people listen, I don’t say actually, I just say "Thank you very much".

'But sometimes people forget that for me personally, they forget he’s still my dad and he’s still someone I had to deal with as an alcoholic.'

Calum has since become a patron for the charity, which has responded to more than 240,000 requests for help from the children of alcoholics since launching in 1990.

Looking back at the affect his father's drinking had on their relationship, he admitted that his time with the footballing legend would be reduced to fleeting moments.

Fleeting moments: Calum with his father in 2004 - 12 months before his alcohol related death. During the interview he admitted to spending as little as two hours a day with George

Calum Best opens up about late alcoholic father George

Tearful: Reflecting on the absence of a father figure, he admitted to consequently developing his own issues as a result

He said: 'I would have, maybe two hours in a day, where I could find my dad, when it was before, or maybe after one or two drinks before it started going down a dark round.

'During those one or two hours then we could get along, then obviously it would get.. the booze. He was a lovely person in so many ways but when the alcohol started he started screwing people over, he would do really bad things.

'Then to avoid facing those facts, facing the fact that he’s got a boy that he didn’t raise and he was never there for, that’s why he’d go on the benders when I would go around.'

Loss: Calum attends the funeral of father George in Belfast, 2005. He later admitted the loss prompted his own issues with alcohol

The interview was conducted just three years after George's death, and Calum admitted losing his father prompted his own issues with alcohol.

'Recently, when my old man passed I fell off the rails pretty hard, it affected me massively - especially because it was such a public thing,' he said.

'I fell off so hard. I just lost my old man that I was searching for a father figure for so long and then it was too late. Now I’m just kind of putting it all into terms. I start catching myself now "Oh Calum, you’re drinking quite a bit".

He said: 'I fell off so hard. I just lost my old man that I was searching for a father figure for so long and then it was too late'

How it was: With George in 1984. The TV personality has since elaborated on his relationship with George in candid autobiography Second Best

'So then I think "Am I in denial?’ and then I say "Oh no, I don’t wake up and crave a drink, I just like to go out and enjoy myself sometimes."

The TV personality has since elaborated on his relationship with George in candid autobiography Second Best, in which he recounts his difficult childhood.

Speaking to Lorraine Kelly while promoting the book in March, Calum admitted the sporting icon’s alcohol related death, aged 59 – part of a destructive generational cycle that began with his grandmother – left him feeling numb.

Prominent role: Calum has since become a patron for the NACOA, which has responded to more than 240,000 requests for help from the children of alcoholics since launching in 1990

He said: ‘It’s crazy because I looked at this cycle recently when I was making this book and I thought to myself when my dad got his massive fame his mum didn’t know how to deal with those pressures so she started drinking.

‘Unfortunately she became alcohol dependent and passed away; when she passed my dad became alcohol dependent, he passed away; when he passed away, I then chased that bottle, drank more than I ever should have because I was trying to numb the pain of losing my dad.’

Calum also reflected on his childhood in southern California – where he lived with his mother, former model Angie Best.

‘I remember one time in particular, I was about 12 years old and I was living in Los Angeles and my dad was coming over for a trip and I was telling everybody, “George is coming, we’re all going to have a kick around!” he said.

‘All the dads were really excited and my dad showed up a bit worse for wear in a shell suit with a long beard and everybody was going, “Is that the hero?”’

Calum Best was in a 'dark place' after the death of his father