Morning:
3°c
Precious is a new-style weepie but one that is much more bracing than depressing
BBC accused of having a 'culture of secrecy' after it refused to reveal how much it pays its top presenters and stars
More...
More hassle for drunken Hoff as he hits a doctor
By Benedict Moore-Bridger Last updated at 09:13am on 09.10.09
Batwatch star David Hasselhoff was taken to hospital after apparently accidentally hitting a doctor following a marathon drinking session, it emerged today.
On the town: Hasselhoff was said to have been drinking for days when he accidentally hit a doctor at his hotel
The actor is said to have lashed out after the doctor was called to his London hotel room where he had reportedly been drinking for days following Simon Cowell's 50th birthday party at the weekend.
Dr Paul Ettlinger had been called to the five-star St Martins Lane Hotel by the actor's personal assistant who was concerned at how intoxicated he was after celebrating with hundreds of A-list celebrities at the £1million party in Wrotham Park, Hertfordshire.
Witnesses claimed Hasselhoff became very drunk at Saturday's party and had to be escorted out of a side door and back to his hotel.
According to The Sun, once there, he apparently abused staff and even wet his hotel bed, causing assistant Joe Townley to call for a doctor.
When he arrived, Hasselhoff was so furious he allegedly lashed out at his assistant, accidentally hitting the doctor.
Worried hotel staff, fearing he was out of control, manhandled the 57-year-old to the basement where he was locked up while Dr Ettlinger — said to have a bruised forehead — called for an ambulance.
The star was taken to London's £1,000-a-night Capio Nightingale Hospital, where he spent two nights in a private suite before being discharged yesterday. A source close to the star apparently told the newspaper: “David is very hard to handle when he drinks, often very emotional and aggressive.
“On this occasion he became so drunk he wet his hotel bed — ruining two mattresses — and was becoming a real pain.”
Hotel guest Maria Weston, 44, told how she saw Hasselhoff swearing in the bar. “He was abusing the staff, shouting at everyone,” she said.
“You'd think he was just some drunk, not a big star.”
One patient at the hospital said: “Everyone was thrilled The Hoff had arrived and wanted to meet him.
“But the nurses were anxious to make sure he had a quiet time to recover and were telling him he needed vitamins and iron to build himself up.”
Hasselhoff has been admitted to hospital at least five times due to alcohol poisoning. Last month he was treated after his daughter Hayley, 17, found him collapsed at home.
Hasselhoff, star of classic shows Knight Rider and Baywatch, is now a judge on America's Got Talent.
