Peter Shilton feared people would leak his gambling addiction

Shilton has long credited his addiction counsellor wife, Steph, with helping him to kick the gambling habit.

“Being quite well known, it’s difficult [to get help] because you’re frightened it’s going to get out and somebody’s going to [write] it in the press, it’s going to go haywire,” he said.

“That’s why Steph was so good. She worked on me over a period of time until it finally clicked. It is a terrible, silent disease.”

The legendary goalkeeper, who famously conceded Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal in 1986, said his charity would help gamblers rehabilitate themselves and manage their debts, and offer prevention work.

It has been backed by his former teammates Gary Lineker, Terry Butcher and Paul Parker, as well as cricket icon Graham Gooch.

There are between 117 and 496 suicides associated with problem gambling every year, according to government figures, external.