The former Arsenal and Aston Villa midfielder also spoke about his struggles with alcohol and gambling addictions, but says he is now, mentally, in a much better place.
Merson, who was capped 21 times by England, as well as having spells at Middlesbrough and Portsmouth, recently broke down during the TV show ‘Harry’s Heroes’ when former Three Lions players got together to lose weight.
The start of all of the FA Cup third-round ties will be delayed for 60 seconds to encourage people to ‘Take A Minute’ and think about their mental health and Merson shared his story about how he is dealing with his troubles.
“On Monday I’ll have been sober for a year. But this time last year, I wanted to kill myself,” he wrote in his column for the Daily Star.
“I couldn’t go on any more. I just couldn’t see a way out. I had the tablets in my hand. I didn’t take enough to do anything but I had them there. With vodka. It was scary.
“It was only because of the kids really, and my wife, and a little bit of consciousness, that I didn’t.