David Hasselhoff: "I should have been dead"

David Hasselhoff has admitted that he could have died when his alcohol addiction was at its worst.

The actor, currently a judge on Britain's Got Talent, told the News of the World that he had the highest blood-alcohol figure ever recorded at the Betty Ford rehab clinic when he checked in there.

"Medically I should have been dead it was so bad," he said. "It was the end of the line when I entered Betty Ford. I remembered the old Hollywood joke: 'When your career is over, you check into Betty Ford to get press.'

"I had been in rehab once before but stayed for eight days before ordering a taxi and going over the wall. It took God's angels to bring me to the brink of disaster and death to get my attention so that I could finally stop drinking."

He added: "It's not about falling - it's how fast you get up. You can count on me getting up. Hasselhoffs don't duck, we say, 'Bring it on!'"

Hasselhoff is currently dating Welsh factory worker and part-time model Hayley Roberts.