Calum Best: My battle with booze almost led to suicide | 5 News 

This young man is as intelligent as his father, and has his father's eyes. He is also trying eradicate the Best family's drinking curse. Good for him.

I met him in his dad's local The Phene and he caught me taking the piss out of his beard. We ended up laughing and chatting and he was the most charming, erudite and funny guy . Hats off to him .

His father absolute football legend and callum seems like such a genuine nice guy who I also think is a legend.

I've never heard him talk before and I like this guy very much.

Don't know why so many people talk shit about him, yes his dad was George Best and he will always be associated with him, what do people expect? he's just living his life like we all are.

What a beautiful man

His British accent is literally at 1% lol

I hadn't realised that he had a booze issue. GB's mother was killed by drink as well. There must be a genetic element to this. Far too many people have a problem with the sauce, and it is good perhaps that people are opening up about it and trying to enjoy life without it as a prop. Good luck to him.

I did the same. Still doing it. So fed up. I'm happy for you Callum that you have come through the other side

Any relation to George Best will be adored here in the UK. All the best Callum !!!

Brave man, well done Calum

I think it's great people are more accepting of things like HT's now because of people like Callum Best. He's a brave man to bear his soul to help others.

sounds quite sensible

RESPECT mate x

So sad for Calum this is a dreadful thing to befall a child.. Of all the ways to leave a child death is by far the kindest..

I hope Callum can get to the point where he gives up cocaine and drinking, and can move on from pretending to be an advocate for healthy living in interviews. Lovely man with so much potential. The eyes don't lie.......

I think Calum would be amazing speaking out there to help young people and any one dealing with addictions& other life issues as he as been there ,he haves the experience in many of this things...And I think would help him also, helping others ...I was in a relationship for 15 years with an addict it's not easy,but I made the decision and left him before he destroyed me and my son even more,but when your dad or mom is addicted to alcohol ,drugs etc growing up,seeing that I think it's even worse...My son loves his dad dearly but ,his dad drug addiction really affected my son growing luckily Is an amazing young man ,works very hard and achieved so much already .About Calum I wish him all the best he seems a lovely and genuine guy,that as work hard to change.

Corfu is so amazing - I’m sorry for Callum’s pain

Callum's a top lad, good luck to him.

Don't understand why everyone is so aggressive to Calum.

Like you honesty great interview..

I'm Calum's Cousin and I've had this affliction all my life. Georgie was the fifth Beattle.

Wow when did calum become good enough to eat. Lookin good mr best!

Hi calum its Stephanie who had the name on the cake I hoped you enjoyed your lovely cake xx

Relate to this a lot

I'm dying. I'm a 27 yr old man, I can't stop drinking, I seizure when I stop. I can't do this plz someone tell me I can beat this. I need hope I want to die

Calum seems a really nice guy. He cant grow a beard as good as his fathers lol. But to wait 4 or 6 months to fly over from the states to the uk to see your dad at age day dot till his dad died, then when calum was age 8, 9, 10 and so on. To then just sit in a pub every day all day must have been really sad for calum and george got so drunk he couldnt even watch calum and calum was left in tears as he would often phone his mum to say my dads too drunk to watch me mum. Thats the selfish side to drinking and all alcoholics are selfish, they just do it in different ways. 90% of the time his dad would take him to the phene arms. I didnt even know that till about 15 years ago, wich doesnt seem that long ago now a days. George just liked drinking too much, its really that simple. When people make up a thousand reasons why george drank so much they miss out the obvious one. And george said it himself on tv shows so many times since the 1970s i lost count myself. He just said "i just like drinking, whats wrong with that? I work i earn alot of money and i just like to drink and have a gamble, i just enjoy myself, i dont bother any one or at least i dont set out to bother any one, but its not that easy when some one wants to have a go at me. Wich happens alot on occasions just becouse of who i am, but when i was younger in the 1960s i would walk away or try and walk away then as i got older i thought no to hell with this and as my drinking got worse as well i stopped trying to walk away and i would fight back as i thought well my football days are over wich was hard to take for a long time. But i am not a big guy and at just 5ft9 most of these clowns were always 6ft tall and bigger, some would be at least 6 inches taller than me, at 6ft3 and if i was drunk i would come of second best as they were too big for me, but if i was sober i always gave as good as i got, i would think of it as a game on the park and and i could out jump guys at 6ft and 6ft3 even. But it got to the stage when i came back from america to the uk for good in 1981,82 i was advised if i was working in an area i didnt know to well to take a couple of minders at 6ft tall and strong and well built. And i knew this advice was right. Once i worked in some areas and there was usually drinking at these events like the after dinner speeches when after the meal i would stand up and talk for about 3 to 5 minutes about the old days with a bit of humour in it. But there would be at least 300 people at these dinners and when you stand up and see them all looking at you i would become a bag of nerves, any one thats did it will know what i mean, so a few drinks before it helped me alot as it settled me and i did it better than i would sober. But some one can attack you any where in or around the building, but most if not all of them did it when they had been drinking. But once they see about 2 big 6ft strong men and maybe one at 6ft4" tall, they would never try anything. Total liberty takers, there is only two places in the world i dont have to take minders and thats manchester and dublin. "I read alot of that in georges book" wich was a great read. It was his 1990 autobiography. 'The Good The Bad And The Bubbly' and i was just age 17 when i read his book in 1990 in december it came out. But i had no idea that george was living a life that where he was being violently attacked all the time. In pubs, on the street and even in his car. He said in 1969 when he was sitting at traffic lights on a hot summers day he had his window down then the next thing a man city fan ran over and punshed him on the face then kicked his red E-type jaguar, then i got out and punshend him back a few times and we kind of wrestled around as he grabbed my hair and like most fights it lasted about a minute as people ran over and split us up. He shouted "your a so and so best" i shouted back "go and get a life mate your nothing to me" then george spoke about the liverpool fan that could have killed him as he smashed a heavy pint pot over his head, and george only went into the pub to use the phone to order a chinese take away for him and his girlfriend ex miss world mary stavin at the time. It was 1981 or 82 and george said as he waited on the phone he could see 4 or 5 guys talking loudly about how good liverpool were and they had won the european cup 3 times in 5 years. I didnt really want to show them my face as there debate was turning nasty and that was just between there own kind. Then as i got the phone i heard look whos over there at the end of the bar on the phone, its george best. I could see one of them walking over towards me but i was hoping he was going to the bar, he was a big guy over 6ft and well built, i didnt look at his hands but then it was too late as he smashed one of those old beer mugs you got in the 70s to mid 1980s over my head then i just felt myself going down, but i grabbed him and took him outside and had him on the ground smashing his head against the pavement, i wanted to kill him and i was coverd in my blood and his also, becouse he was so drunk you just think you can fight but you cant, and i was sober so thats why i got him down so easy i took his two legs away as he tried to punsh me but kept missing so i just grabbed his kneck with both hands then used my fast feet to put them behind him and pulled my feet forward and his two legs went down. I couldnt believe it when the police charged me with assault? I said theres at least 15 witnesses in that pub that seen what happend. He almost killed me with a beer mug. So after they asked what happend they charged him, i later found out months later he got a six month suspended sentence and a £200 pound fine, i couldnt believe it. He basicly got away with it. While i had to get ten stitches on my head just above my left eye that will never go away. I remember thinking at the time i read all this? How many more famous people get this sort of hassle? Becouse i havent heard of any? It really was heavy stuff george got, and theres too many storys to mention. Rip george and thancks.

He has always used his fathers name to make a living, what is his talent exactly? but fair play to him for talking though

Does he have a book coming out soon?

that beard brings out his pointy ears lol

I met him when I was around 17 seemed alright to me. Im curious as I havent lived in uk for 10 years or more why the hate???

It sad people can't enjoy a drink, but know when to stop. Making it something forbidden isn't a great idea either. I was brought up the French way with drinking, and I've never been that bothered about it.

ameircan accent with british slang words, interesting mix lol!

i thought this guy callum was a total nob, until i watched this. he must have had a hard time dealing with stuff growing up. no point hating.

I was so excited to hear that I am related to George best He is my grandpas cousin

He has the American accent

I’m afraid my dad will die. Suicide or alcohol. Both are related with each other. I’m stuck.

He looks like Jamie dornan with that beard

Wish he had his British accent he would sound lovely

Unfortunately Calum never chose to contact the best Family.

Too cool for skool I like his beard

The guys American but he talks like he's British

His mom lives in America, no wonder he sounds American

I've watched Calum on both UK and American reality shows, and he shows sign of rapid mood swings and hypomania. Medicating bipolar II disorder with alcohol most likely.

It must be very difficult for Calum Best, having no particular talent of his own, besides talking about his exceptionally gifted father who was also, very sadly, a chronic alcoholic....

Stop slagging off Calum, he worked hard to get that hair transplant

Don't drink.

You know what I mean?

Alcohol leads to some bullshit. Let me tell ya, drunk right now almost 30 days ina row. Just don't do it yo. Pls. Talk to someone close if you can.

It is a total disease. I lost my mum at 12 you where always welcome. You chose not to

Who's liver did besty get. Did he buy it.

This fella needs a good flakin

I know where he is coming from

interviewer looks like gareth bale

son im from n ireland worked hard all my life callum go and get a real job son

....why does he keep talking about benders?

He said the exact same shit on the late late. Only in it for the $$$

u used him

Alcoholism is a person who need help

George is a legend one Of The greatest footballers the world's seen his son has no talent whatsoever . might as well talk to the wall than this bellend.