Strictly star Tony Adams’ Arsenal career, drink-driving arrest and battle with booze

Former Arsenal player Tony Adams is swapping the football pitch for the dance floor this year after signing up for the 2022 series of Strictly Come Dancing

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Strictly: Tony Adams announced as eleventh contestant

Footballing legend Tony Adams will be showing off his footwork skills as part of the Strictly Come Dancing 2022 line-up.

The 55-year-old star is swapping the football pitch for the dance floor this autumn and will no doubt become very accustomed to regular spray tans.

However, Tony is no stranger to fame and being in front of the cameras as he first signed for Arsenal as a schoolboy back in 1980.

Tony, who was born in Romford, made his first-team debut in November 1983 against Sunderland in the First Division, four weeks after his 17th birthday.

He became a regular player in the 1986–87 season, winning his first major trophy that season when playing in the Football League Cup Final win over Liverpool at Wembley.

Tony Adams will be showing off his footwork skills as part of the Strictly Come Dancing 2022 line-up

Tony spent his entire playing career of 19 years as a centre back at Arsenal and is considered to be one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club’s own fans, and was even included in the Football League 100 Legends.

With Arsenal, Tony won four top flight division titles, uniquely captaining a title-winning team in three different decades, three FA Cups, two Football League Cups, a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, and two FA Community Shields.

Tony spent his entire playing career of 19 years as a centre back at Arsenal (

Image:

Getty Images)

A statue honouring the footballer was unveiled at Emirates stadium in December 2011, along with statues of Thierry Henry and Herbert Chapman.

And when his playing career finished, Tony went into football management, spending periods in charge of Wycombe Wanderers, Portsmouth, Azerbaijani side Gabala and Spanish side Granada.

As well as success, Tony has also had his fair share of controversy and served 58 days in Chelmsford Prison following a 1990 conviction for drink-driving.

Tony is no stranger to fame and being in front of the cameras as he first signed for Arsenal as a schoolboy back in 1980 (

Image:

Getty Images)

Last year, Tony marked 25 years of being sober and has been very honest about his battle with booze and addiction.

In August 2021, he shared a heartwarming message on Instagram which read: “There it is! Officially an old timer today. At 5pm on the 16/08/1996 I took my last alcoholic drink.

“25 years of peace and serenity later, I would just like to thank all those recovering addicts that freely carried the message of recovery to me.

Tony was jailed for drink driving and has now been sober for more than 25 years (

Image:

Getty Images)

“Thank God I surrendered and asked for help. Keep coming back.”

The former defender accompanied the message with an Alcoholics’ Anonymous coin, featuring the words: “To thine own self be true.”

Opening up in his autobiography, Sober, Tony revealed it was after a four-day bender that he recognised the need for change.

He wrote: “On the Wednesday, I went to a restaurant and nightclub in Chelsea called Barbarella’s and got smashed. I can’t remember where I stayed. I do remember p****** and s****** in my pants, peeling them off and going out again.

Tony is considered to be one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club’s own fans (

Image:

PA)

“I remember bits about the Thursday. I went to a strip club off Piccadilly. I would get girls there. You could take them off somewhere and pay them. I was drinking with twin girls.

“It sounds glamorous — all sex and drugs and rock’n’roll — but it wasn’t. It was all s*** and passing out.

He added: “I was completely lost. The alcohol wasn’t working for me any more and nor was the sex. Nothing was.”

In September 2000, as a result of his own experiences with alcoholism, Tony founded the Sporting Chance Clinic.

A charity aimed at providing treatment, counselling, education and gives confidential help & support for current & former professional sportspeople experiencing difficulties with addictive disorders, alcohol, gambling & substance misuse.