David Hasselhoff asked to be videotaped while intoxicated so he could see what he’s like when he’s drunk, according to Extra.
The show obtained footage of Hasselhoff, 54, sitting shirtless on the floor of a Las Vegas hotel room (see below). Off-camera, Extra says, a family member pleads with him to stop drinking and says:
“The doctor is coming over here in the morning to check your alcohol level. If you have any alcohol in your system, you are going to be fired from [The Producers].”
Hasselhoff’s lawyers said he requested that the video be taken. Pamela Anderson‘s former Baywatch co-star tells People in a statement that he needed to see himself at his worst:
“I am a recovering alcoholic.”
“Despite [the fact] that I have been going through a painful divorce and have recently been separated from my children due to my work, I have been successfully dealing with my issues. Unfortunately, one evening I did have a brief relapse, but part of recovery is relapse.”
“Because of my honest and positive relationship with my daughters, who were concerned for my well being, there was a tape made that night to show me what I was like. I have seen the tape. I have learned from it and I am back on my game. I thank God for the love and concern from my daughters. The tape was never meant to become public, but appears to have been obtained and released by my ex-wife. I hope that someone else will learn from the tape, as I have.”
A rep for Debra Opri, the lawyer representing Hasselhoff’s ex-wife, Pamela Bach, said in a statement Thursday:
“Pamela Bach and her attorney Debra Opri were not the ones who disseminated the tape [to the media]. Both Pamela and her attorney have not seen the tape, and Pam has no desire to.”
In the video, Extra reports, Hasselhoff is asked why he continues to imbibe harder than Tara Conner, and he says: “Cause I’m lonely. I have trouble in my life.” The family member responds, “You have me.” Hasselhoff replies:
“I don’t have you in my life. Bulls—-. I don’t have you.” Says the family member: “You are throwing your life away. It is stupid.”
Hasselhoff filed for divorce from Bach in January 2006:
Bach filed her own divorce paperwork the following day, which included claims of domestic violence. The two have been locked in an acrimonious battle over finances and custody of their two daughters, Taylor-Ann, 16, and Hayley, 13, one of whom reportedly attempted suicide in September.
In an episode of Access Hollywood airing Thursday, Bach, 44, tells the show that she doesn’t trust the troubled star with their daughters, saying: “I don’t trust that he can hold his disease at bay to not take that drink.”
Someone ought to film Britney Spears the next time she gets faded.
David Hasselhoff, for his part, said to Access Hollywood:
“I have respect of my children and my fans, but most importantly my self respect. I will continue to keep my personal life private for the sake of moving on and living a happy life with my daughters.”
A rep for Hasselhoff, who’s been letting himself go for the better part of a year, did not immediately return calls for comment; his attorneys had no comment.