Police found Gazza semi-conscious in his five-star Portuguese hotel

Former England star Paul Gascoigne has been treated in a Portuguese hospital after apparently trying to commit suicide with a cocktail of drink and drugs.

The alcoholic ex-footballer was taken to the A&E unit on Thursday night after he collapsed following a suspected overdose.

Police found him semi-conscious at a five-star hotel in Vilamoura in the Algarve following reports of a 'disturbance'.

An ambulance took Gascoigne to Faro District Hospital, where he had his stomach pumped before being sedated.

The drama unfolded as Gascoigne snubbed his ex-wife Sheryl and daughter Bianca as after they flew to the Algarve to beg him to check into rehab.

The 41-year-old was reported to have launched a foul-mouthed rant, telling them to 'f*** off'.

Hotel staff listened as Gascoigne yelled for them to leave him to die, prompting Sheryl to burst into tears.

A hospital spokesman last night confirmed that Gascoigne had been treated but claimed that he had been  released yesterday morning.

Hospital staff said a friend collected the former footballer after he had spent the night under close observation. Other reports claimed he was still being treated and was on a saline drip.

The alleged suicide attempt is believed to have taken place after an emotional argument with ex-wife Sheryl and daughter Bianca a few hours earlier.

The pair reportedly travelled to Portugal to try to convince Gascoigne to stop drinking and check into rehab.

He was sectioned under the Mental Health Act in February, when police were called to the Hilton Hotel in Newcastle after he allegedly threatened staff.

He was sectioned again in June after hammering on his former wife's door in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

Better times: Gazza and Sheryl share a smooch after a trip to the cinema when the former footballer was being treated at London's Priory clinic

Gascoigne has been in Portugal since last month, with close friend Jimmy Gardner and former Coronation Street star Bradley Walsh.

Last night, sources quoted in The Sun newspaper said: 'Police were called because of some trouble at the hotel and then requested medical support.

'He was semi-conscious when emergency services arrived at the hotel and he had a girl with him. At the hospital, he was sedated and medics washed out his stomach.'

A spokesman for Gascoigne refused to comment but admitted he had not heard from him and did not know where he was.

Fairy-tale wedding: But Sheryl and Paul's 1996 marriage ended in disaster