Football star Kyle Lafferty revealed he burst into tears after telling his wife he was addicted to gambling.

The 30-year-old Hearts striker, has vowed to beat his demons after his wife, Vanessa Chung, 26, convinced him to get professional help.

He told of his tearful confession to the model after losing all the cash in his pocket on a doomed horse race punt at the bookies, reports the Scottish Sun.

Vanessa, knowing her husband gambled occasionally, urged the ex-Rangers player to seek professional help.

Lafferty now wants to repay her faith by kicking the habit for good — and revealed his latest fix is housework.

The former Rangers hero said: “It was hard to admit I had a problem. Things came to a head about two months ago when I had my last bet. It was horse racing.

“I lost whatever I had in my pocket at the time. It wasn’t the biggest bet I’d had. But I was in the bookies and people were staring as they recognised me.

“Something just clicked and I knew I had to speak to Vanessa. I told her I’d been betting and then the tears just came."

The Northern Ireland international admitted he feared the worst with his emotional confession but said it has allowed him to slowly rebuild his life after previously splurging “a grand like it was a tenner”.