A former England football legend is booked to give a talk at a tiny village club in the Fens next month.

Kenny Sansom, who was the most capped defender who ever played for England in the 1980s, will be at Walton HIghway Village Club on Saturday December 10.

Ex Arsenal player Sansom used to hold the record number of caps for a defender, eventually beaten by Ashley Cole.

Famous for his on pitch skill he is now just as renowned for his 30 year fight with alcohol and gambling.

His battle came to a dramatic head in January when Jeremy Kyle staged a dramatic ‘celebrity intervention’ on his chat show, as it was revealed Sansom nearly died after his mother’s funeral.

His emotional sister Mary revealed on the ITV chat show that he had turned up drunk at his mother’s funeral last year, before later collapsing and having a fit.

Sansom told the show: ‘I’m here to first of all tell people that I’ve let down to say sorry. I’m going to try and do something for them, but I’m sorry I’ve let a lot of people down.’

The London-born footballer added: ‘All I wanted to do was lay down drink as much as I could and fall asleep forever. I didn’t want to be around.’

Sansom added: ‘I enjoy getting drunk to forget about the problems because I’m a coward and I’m scared of life.’

Sansom was once one of the world’s most well respected footballers and was a wealthy man, although he has since gambled away his fortune.

The ex-sportsman said on the show: ‘If something in my life happens that hurts me, I get knocked back about 10ft, and to get back about 10ft, I need the wine to get back.’

The programme also featured a long discussion involving Kyle trying to persuade Sansom to attend a rehabilitation centre for 12 weeks - but the footballer insisted he was ‘scared’ and could not go.

• Kenny Sansom will be at Walpole Highway Club on Saturday December 10. From 7.30pm. Tickets are £15.