Ref. 25688-18THE mother of a schoolgirl who received messages of support from George Best while waiting for a life-saving liver transplant, says he should "get a grip" and stop drinking.

While recovering from his own liver transplant last year, former football legend Best sent 10-year-old Katy Dean, - who is still awaiting a transplant - a heart-warming personal message of support via the Evening Advertiser.

He said: "Keep your chin up Katy - it is a big operation, but it'll be worth it in the end.

"I send love and best wishes to you and your family."

Best's wife Alex has confirmed that the former Northern Ireland and Manchester United star is drinking again.

Surgeons have warned that the 57-year-old sporting hero could die if he carries on.

Katy's mother Tina, 39, of Bideford Close, Park North, says it is unfair that Best, who ruined his liver through years of alcohol abuse, received a transplant only to start drinking again, while her daughter is still waiting for a donor.

And she had this message for Best, who vowed never to drink again after his operation: "Get a grip".

She said: "He had his chance at life, and now he's just throwing it back. It doesn't seem fair. There are so many kids waiting for a transplant. Katy is very sad about it. "

Mrs Dean says she has come to fully appreciate the value of life recently. In March, her husband Kevin died suddenly at the age of 43 after contracting bronchial pneumonia. And last November, she was told that Katy is unlikely to survive to adulthood without a transplant.

Katy, a pupil at Goddard Park Primary School in Park North, has endured many operations in her short life. At just two-weeks-old, she underwent a 12-hour operation to remove a cyst under her liver, which threatened to infect her body with toxins. A year later surgeons discovered that her liver was abnormally large and not functioning properly.

Despite her condition, which means she has to take nine doses of medication every day, Katy is a happy, cheerful child, looking forward to a dream holiday to swim with dolphins in Florida in September. The trip is being paid for by locals at the Liden Arms in Barrington Close, Liden.

Staff at Best's local pub, the Chequers near Tadworth, Surrey, where he is said to have been drinking, have announced that they will no longer serve him alcohol.

Barbara Crofton, director of the Swindon and Wiltshire Alcohol and Drug Service, said Best's relapse showed just how addictive drink can be.

She said: "It shows what a powerfully addictive drug alcoholic is and how difficult it is to give it up. It shows that he is human in that he is not finding it easy."