A professional footballer who had battled alcohol addiction and a gambling habit committed suicide while staying at a team hotel, a coroner has ruled.

Lee Collins, who was captain of Somerset Yeovil Town FC club, had cocaine in his body at the time of his death, the investigation told Taunton.

The player, 32, also struggled with injuries and a relationship breakdown.

He was found dead in the hotel room after failing to show up for a workout in March. Toxicological tests revealed alcohol and cocaine in his body.

In a statement, his former partner Rachel Gibbon said Collins, of Newport in South Wales, was a “gentle giant, the kindest and most generous man you have ever met.”

But she said there were two sides to her “very complex character” – one was a “confident, cool and collected man” with time for everyone, the other “insecure and anxious” with. an addictive personality.

Gibbon said he would give “110%” when exercising, but his addictive behavior meant he was playing online and no amount he won would be enough due to the “buzz and thrill of winning. “.

She said, “I begged him for help, but he was getting verbally aggressive. I couldn’t have physically dragged him to the doctors. He didn’t want help.

Gibbon said Collins, who has played for a number of clubs including Port Vale and Forest Green Rovers, was very upset when his father and his beloved companion dog passed away in 2017. She added: “Over the course of for the past 10 years he drank Fort Cidre every day. “

Close friend Paul Broadhead said Collins has suffered deeply in his mental health over the past few years, despite being “the joker and the life and soul of the party.”

Broadhead said: “He was very sensitive and not very good at his own business.” Collins was worried about paying the bills and what he would do at the end of his football career, he said.

Terry Skiverton, a member of the club’s management team, said Collins looked happy during a good training session the day before his death. But he said the defender suffered from injuries and personal issues and did not show up for training on March 31.

Club manager Darren Sarll said Collins and his partner recently broke up and was “an inconsistent character who hasn’t shown up for work multiple times”.

Somerset senior coroner Tony Williams concluded Collins had committed suicide.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or by sending an email to [email protected] or [email protected] In the United States, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the Lifeline crisis helpline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines are available at www.befrienders.org.