Paul Gascoigne admits that he feared Gaza Strip stories were about him

Troubled England football legend Paul Gascoigne has admitted that he thought that news stories about the conflict on the Gaza Strip were about him.

The 48-year-old, who is widely known as Gazza, on Monday evening attended the premiere of a new documentary titled Gascoigne, which delves into the life and career of the retired footballer.

The former Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has made headlines over the years regarding his lengthy battle with alcohol and drugs, and Gascoigne has revealed that he went through a stage of paranoia when news stories about the Gaza Strip emerged.

"I tell you what was the worst one - the Gaza Strip," the Daily Mail quotes Gascoigne as saying. "You know the term the Gaza Strip, remember that? That was murder for me.

"I'd be sitting there having a shave and that, and the news would come on - 'and the Gaza...' and I'd be like 'what's that?!' and I realised it was the Gaza Strip. I couldn't wait for that to end."

Last month, Gascoigne won £188,250 in damages from Mirror Group Newspapers in relation to the phone-hacking scandal.