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Former All Blacks star Zac Guildford has opened up on his addictions to drugs, alcohol and gambling, after he was found guilty of stealing more than $100,000 from friends and family.
A World Cup winner with New Zealand in 2010, the winger won 11 caps for the All Blacks, starred in Super Rugby with the Hurricanes and Crusaders and played two seasons at French rugby powerhouse Clermont.
Off the field, however, his addictions derailed his life almost to the point of no return.
Former All Blacks Zac Guildford was sentenced to nine months of home detention in March
'I'm either going to end up in jail where I don't want to be, or dead, or I get my life together,' he told NewsHub.
'And I thought well, I don't want to die yet, I don't want to end up in jail, and this [sobriety] is the only option left.
'I am sober. The last time I touched alcohol was March 16, class A drugs a bit before that, so early March, and gambling I broke that off on April 17.'
In 2011, Guildford was accuses of getting naked and punching strangers in a pub in Rarotonga on the Cook Islands. Last year, he pleaded guilty to punching a woman in a cab in Hamilton in 2019.
The 33-year-old won 11 caps for the All Blacks and won the Rugby World Cup in 2011
Guildford was found guilty of stealing more than $100,000 from friends and family
But of his addictions, gambling proved to be far the costliest. Guildford estimates he earned a 'couple of millions' of dollars throughout his career, but has 'lost everything' because of his addiction and admitted losing $25,000 on a single bet.
While Guildford gambled on a daily basis, he concealed his addiction from family and friends.
'I didn't want anyone to know I was a
