“It was really scary at first. The first meeting I went to, I had to stand up and say, ‘I’m Zak Hardaker and I’m an alcoholic’.”

“I woke up at 4am in the morning and I thought, ‘f****** hell! Have I really just planned to do what I did?’”

“The truth is, we’re not as popular or well known as footballers. There is a need to think about how to live post-rugby.”