KYLE LAFFERTY has opened up on just how difficult it was to beat his past gambling addiction.

It’s nearly five years since the Kilmarnock striker went public with his betting struggles while he was playing for Hearts.

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His announcement in September 2017 came a year after he had been fined by the FA in England for breaching the governing body’s rules by placing bets on matches.

Lafferty decided to confront the issue, publicly admitting that he was addicted to gambling.

He revealed that he was attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings and in 2018, he marked a year without placing a bet.

The 34-year old described that as a “massive milestone” and although a long road remained ahead, he said he was in “the best place I’ve been for a long time.”

Four years on, the former Rangers striker has opened up on his journey to recovery.

He’s described the ‘weight off of his shoulders’ after publicly addressing the situation.

Lafferty also revealed how he feared his gambling addiction would wreck his dreams of playing for Northern Ireland at Euro 2016.

Speaking on A Pint and Two Shots podcast, Lafferty said: “I went to my GA meetings. They helped massively.

“You meet normal people that aren’t going to judge you. That was probably the biggest thing for me that stopped me getting help before. Going to the meeting, getting into the press, stuff like that. People looking at me in a different way.

“I ended up getting fined heavily from the FA in England, but it was like three months maybe before the Euros. I was like ‘I’ve absolutely messed this up for myself.’

“In the meeting with the FA, I was so honest. I was like ‘listen, what I’ve done, I’m not blaming anyone. It was my fault, I was aware of what I was doing.’

“I was honest with them. I think that probably helped me being so honest.”

After being fined by the FA, Lafferty went to the Sporting Chance clinic, run by former Arsenal and England defender Tony Adams.

However, Lafferty has admitted he wasn’t yet ready to stop gambling at that point in time and was still tempted by it even after he’d started attending meetings.

The big striker said: “They gave me the guy’s number in Sporting Chance, Tony Adams, I started seeing him but I wasn’t ready.

“I drove from Norwich to London every Wednesday when I was off but I seen myself going to the bookies round the corner when I left his meeting.

“I didn’t bet on football after that, I was treading water to try and win my money back.

“Horses, dogs, even virtual dogs. I wasn’t ready to stop.

“I was leaving the meeting, going round the corner on the way back to Norwich and betting. I was betting on everything.

“I remember lying in bed, if I woke up I was at the side of my bed betting on anything. Table tennis, even.”

Lafferty has now vowed to help any other footballers struggling with gambling addiction.

The Northern Ireland international has also vowed to help any other players struggling with similar issues.

He says his doors open to any footy stars who want to talk to him.

He added: “When I first came out, it was a massive weight off my shoulders.

“For anyone, for footballers in the limelight, there’s always help.

“The backing and the support you get will be mind blowing. If anyone ever wanted to come and speak to me, even if I’ve played games against them or anything. I’ll always help anyone.”

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