Paul Gascoigne showed the heart that made the nation fall in love with him as a schoolboy by becoming David Olusoga's unlikely hero.
The beloved England legend came to the aid of the Celebrity Traitors star when the latter was subjected to sickening racist abuse as a child.
Gascoigne is one of England's most iconic players in history
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Gascoigne is one of England's most iconic players in historyCredit: Getty
TV historian Olusoga was born in Lagos to a Nigerian father and a British mother, with the pair having met in Newcastle.
The 56-year-old moved to his mother's home in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, as a young boy and ended up at the same school as Gazza.
Olusoga's family was targeted by the National Front and subjected to horrific abuse, with Geordie hero Gascoigne stepping in to help.
Gascoigne helped out Traitors star Olusoga after racist attack
"I went to a school called Brighton Avenue," Olusoga explained exclusively on talkSPORT's Hawksbee and Jacobs.
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"Me and my older sister, Yinka, went to that school. We were the only black kids. And Gazza was in my sister's class.
"We got the class photo. And there's my little sister, my older sister. And there's Gazza. And I've only got one strong memory of Gazza.
"This is the 70s. This is the Northeast. England was a bit of a different country. I'd been kind of hit and knocked over.
"And this kid kind of came and pushed away the kid who was hitting me, and then put his hand down and picked me up.
"I remember him because he had very, very blue eyes. I'm Nigerian, all my family have got dark eyes. Very struck by his blue eyes.
David Olusoga on talkSPORT speaking about Paul Gascoigne
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Gascoigne's blue eyes remain etched in Olusoga's memory
Paul Gascoigne on talkSPORT
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Gazza remains a national icon and Three Lions heroCredit: talkSPORT
"He was in my sister's class," Olusoga added. "My sister was kind of helping him with his homework; they were mates. And it was Gazza.
"The politics of a 1970s playground in Gateshead, being mates with the two black kids is probably not the best way to get on.
"But he didn't care. He was the coolest kid. He was the kid who could play football, obviously. And he was lovely to me and my sister."
'That's Paul from school'
After the incident, Olusoga watched as his schoolboy saviour went on to earn 57 caps for his country as one of England's greatest stars.
The historian, who fittingly joined Gascoigne in becoming a national treasure after his time on Celebrity Traitors, revealed: "When he became famous, we grew up in Newcastle.
Paul Gascoigne pictured for England
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Gascoigne helped out schoolmate Olusoga when they were youngerCredit: GETTY
"He was at Wallsend Boys Club, then he was a Newcastle Apprentice, so yeah, I kind of put two and two together.
"My sister was always talking about, 'That's Paul from school.'"
Gazza: 'I hated bullies'
Olusoga and his sibling, Yinka, now a lecturer in Education, are not the only ones to recall the inspiring story.
Gazza himself, who came into talkSPORT Towers in October, previously revealed his late dad John told him to stand up to bullies.
Newcastle United 1985, Post Season. Newcastle United players bid Tyneside farewell before jetting off on their tour of New Zealand and Fuji, left to right are Gary Kelly, Peter Beardsley, Wes Saunders, Neil McDonald, Paul Gascoigne and Martin Thomas, 13th May 1985.
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Gascoigne (second from right) went from Newcastle schoolboy to England iconCredit: Getty
“I was only young, but I do remember [helping Olusoga],” he told the Mirror. “I hated bullies, and I did not like what was happening.
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“My dad always taught me to look for the hardest lad in a new school and stand up to him, fight if I had to.
“It was quite good advice back then.”