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James 'Five Bellies' Gardner (born 1966) earned media attention in the 1990s and early 2000s as the best friend of England international footballer Paul Gascoigne, whose issues with alcohol were in the public eye. A 2004 article in The Guardian described Gardner as "the only person in Britain famous for being a footballer's mate".[1]
Personal life
editGardner is from Dunston, Gateshead.[2] He had two sons as of 1998, left school with no qualifications and worked as a Tarmac layer.[3] In 1999, he served four weeks in prison for threatening a group of youths with an unloaded air pistol, a trigger event for him to give up drinking.[4] He was declared bankrupt in 2005.[5]
In 2010, having shed his weight from a peak of 21 stone to 13 stone due to a drastic change in lifestyle, he took part in the Great North Run for the Bobby Robson Foundation.[5]
Relationship with Paul Gascoigne
editGardner and Gascoigne met at school at the age of 14, and Gascoigne gave him his nickname referring to his obesity.[3] Gardner gained notoriety for accompanying Gascoigne while drinking, and stories of their alleged antics were included in newspapers.[3] One such case alleged that Gardner withstood a lighter flame being applied to his nose to win a £1,000 bet with Gascoigne,[3][4] while Gardner states that the flame was Gascoigne's way of waking him from a deep sleep in a bar.[4] He denies allegations that he introduced Gascoigne to alcohol abuse, saying "if anything, it's the opposite".[4] His cousin, David Cheek, died of acute alcohol poisoning at the age of 43 on 13 August 1998 during a night out with Gardner and Gascoigne.[6]
The relationship between Gardner and Gascoigne remained in the public eye as the footballer's condition worsened after his retirement. In 2008, they fell out when Gardner aimed to address his friend's rapid weight loss and depression, but reconciled later that year.[7] They fell out in 2013 after Gardner made a public call for his friend to seek help for his addiction, and Gardner confessed that he searches Gascoigne's name on the Internet every day to check if he is still alive.[2]
References
edit- ^ Hattenstone, Simon (22 June 2004). "'I quit football - that is what made us better'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ a b Doughty, Sophie (6 October 2014). "Jimmy 'Five Bellies' Gardner tells of fears best mate Gazza will die before they make-up". Chronicle. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Why are they famous?: Jimmy 'Five Bellies' Gardner". The Independent. 20 December 1998. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Jimmy 'Five Bellies' Gardner". BBC Inside Out. 15 September 2003. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Jimmy 'Five Bellies' set for Great North Run". Chronicle. 16 September 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ "Gazza's friend killed by drink". BBC News. 19 August 1998. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ "Reunited: Gazza makes it up with old friend Jimmy 'Five Bellies'". Evening Standard. 2 August 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2018.