Maradona vows to beat illness

Diego Maradona has vowed to fight his illness for the sake of his daughters.

Diego Maradona has vowed to fight his illness for the sake of his daughters.

The Argentinian World Cup-winner was discharged from hospital yesterday after lengthy treatment for smoking, dietary and alcohol-related problems

He made his first public appearance on Argentinian TV and stated: "I am alive and I want to continue living for my two daughters. I am going to continue fighting until the end."

The 46-year-old added: "I was ill, I recognise that.

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"There were some very hard days, I do not recommend it to anybody. I made a mistake and paid a very high price.

"Today I am calm, doing the diet and taking care of myself.  Now I want to rest in order to be better physically. I am not a drunk."

Maradona said his family were instrumental in his recovery.

"May 16th is the birthday of my daughter Giannina and I want to enjoy it because she helped me a lot," he said.

"My daughters tell me 'never again dad' and I am going to endeavour to achieve it.  I want to be an example for my daughters."