Hasselhoff Hospitalized For Alcohol Poisoning... 13 Times

It was a disturbing scene.

Pamela Bach-Hasselhoff was alone in her bedroom watching TV when she first saw the now-infamous video footage - shot by her eldest daughter, Taylor-Ann - of her ex-husband, David Hasselhoff, 54, on the floor.

Shirtless. Eating a hamburger.

Having been married to the recovering alcoholic for 16 years (they divorced in July 2006), the tape only added fuel to an already explosive custody battle - one that's only slightly less heated than the fight between Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger.

The 42-year-old actress reveals to Us Weekly how she and daughters, Hayley, 14, and Taylor-Ann, 17, have coped with the former Baywatch star and America's Got Talent host's woes.

What did you feel when you saw the tape?
"So many emotions. I'm thinking of protecting my family, and who released this?"

"And I'm thinking that Taylor-Ann is so calm, because she's been raised around it. And I thought, How come I didn't know he was drunk?"

THG NOTE: Hasselhoff says he asked to be filmed while drunk so he could experience the intensity of his problems and get help.

When was the first time you saw him drunk?
"The first time I saw [David Hasselhoff] wasted was our second date at his house. I thought, wow, he drank a little bit too much and too fast. He was my best friend, and I was lucky to marry the love of my life. But over time, the disease eroded the relationship."

THG NOTE: Britney Spears knows all about what it's like to drink a little too much and too fast. And what it feels like to go bald.

Do they still want to see their father?
"Absolutely. They absolutely love their father. They just want him to get better. He's been through three rehabs - in 2001, 2002, and 2004. He has been to the emergency room at least 12 to 13 times at Cedars-Sinai - under aliases - for alcohol poisoning. ["Not true," Melvin Goldsman, Hasselhoff's attorney says.] His disease is very extreme."