Former world boxing champ Frank Bruno has offered his support to fallen England legend Paul Gascoigne.
Bruno has admitted his heart goes out to Gascoigne, who was sectioned last week under the Mental Health Act.
Bruno, now 46, said news of Gascoigne's plight brought back the full horror of what happened to him when police were called to his home in September 2003.
And he warned Gascoigne would have to go through a frightening time and be stripped of all of his celebrity status in order to get over his illness.
Bruno told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek: "I think he'll be very frightened. It's a very horrible place to be but if you're not well they will weigh up the situation and try to calm you down a little bit."
Bruno said it did not matter that Gascoigne was once a world-class footballer because that was now in the past.
He said: "If you're on the telly and scoring goals and people are recognising you, when you go into these places that's all to one side.
"You're treated like a normal human being because it could happen to anybody. It happens to royals, footballers and actors. It's a very important and delicate thing not to mess around with."
Bruno now lives in a quiet village in Bedfordshire and makes occasional public appearances at charity shows as well as ringside at major boxing matches, where he is always given a warm welcome.
He says Gascoigne's battle to make a full recovery will only just have started when he is released from hospital, and that the secret is to keep fit and healthy and put himself first.
Bruno added: "It's important to look after yourself because if you don't look after number one there's no-one else to do it. He's got to do a lot of soul-searching and treat every day he gets up as a bonus."
