David Hasselhoff reveals his ten life lessons

DAVID HASSELHOFF, 63, became a global star through telly hits Baywatch and Knight Rider.

Simply known as The Hoff, he’s had a singing career, been a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, featured in movies, stage musicals and recently his own mockumentary.

David has been married twice, to Catherine Hickland and Pamela Bach and has two daughters, Hayley and Taylor-Ann.

For the past few years he’s been with Welsh girlfriend Hayley Roberts, who’s 30 years his junior.

Next Saturday he’ll take to the stage at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow as the star of panto Peter Pan, alongside the Krankies and Michelle McManus. It runs until January 3.

Having had such a colourful life, The Hoff tells iN10 the lessons he’s learned along the way.

The cast of this year’s pantomime (Andrew Cawley / DC Thomson) Mum’s the wordMy mother was my driving force. When I was in seventh grade she told me I had star quality I didn’t even know what she meant. But she said she could see what I had and it was her responsibility to help me.

Believe it or not, the first show I ever saw was Peter Pan when I was seven and I fell in love with the character. She took me to every possible thing to do with acting and we even had shows in our basement. She sewed the costumes and spray-painted the props.

She ended up in a wheelchair but was always a lady and she very much went out on her own terms.

David and his late mother Dolores (Getty Images / Newsmakers) Treasure memoriesMy dad was the most outgoing person ever and I inherited his incredible love of humour and making other people happy. He had a quadruple bypass and I went out to take care of him as I was concerned he was going to pass away. I went to get his laundry and they said how funny he was. At the food store they’d made him a cake and when I went to get his medicine they said how crazy he was and how he made them laugh.

My favourite thing was taking him video tapes of the Edinburgh Tattoo, which he loved.

I said I’d take him over in his wheelchair to see it, but sadly I lost him this year and he didn’t make it. Life isn’t fairYou realise that it isn’t and it isn’t your fault. You just suck it up and move on but it’s a tough lesson to learn.

I’ve had a bad bacterial infection in my knee for four months which I got from injections to help my arthritis. It’s really sore but when I was seeing the doctors I realised there are a lot of people worse than me.

One guy reached out to me on Twitter and what I had gone through was nothing compared to him. I took strength in helping him and that helped me too. TV lessonsI remember Cher saying to always be better when the camera was on her for her close-up. That way she’d look good as she’d give a better reaction.

But the best tip is; listen, listen, listen. That’s the hardest thing for any actor to do. If you can go home and tell your loved one the colour of eyes of the person you’ve just worked with it shows you’ve really looked and so probably listened.

The Hoff in Baywatch, 1997 (Getty Images) Save your moneyIf you want to do that you have to be in control of your money don’t put it in the hands of other people. I’m consistently making millions of dollars, yet every year I’m broke and I don’t know why. I think it’s to do with the fact I’ve got ex-wives, daughters, the house and a lot of people on the payroll!

You’ve got to appreciate what money’s worth and you don’t know that until you’ve lost it.

I was gambling for a while and I realised when I was driving home one night I could have bought the entire car lot I was passing. I’d probably never have driven any of them but I could have bought at least 20 of the cars with the money I was playing with.

What an idiot!

That stopped me right in my tracks that day. Learn from loveI think love finds you. With the relationship I’m in with Hayley, I envisioned the type of person I wanted to be with and she just appeared.

You can’t change the person you’re with. If you don’t love them and accept the way you are and they feel the same about you, then you shouldn’t be together.

My girlfriend and I come from very different worlds. When we met she asked what I did and when I said TV she said she’d seen me in Baywatch once or twice. She really didn’t know much about me. I told her I did music, commercials and travelled the world.

I accept her for the way she is and say she has to do the same with me. She can point out the bad or self-indulgent things I do and then we have a choice. I can say she’s right and work on them or she has the choice to walk away.

David and Welsh girlfriend Hayley Roberts (David Rogers/Getty Images) Straight talkingYou have to tell the truth even if people don’t want to hear it. I say to my girls that if they bring what they think is a great guy home and I think he’s an idiot then I’m going to tell them. I’ve saved a lot of money for you, don’t blow it on somebody who’s going to use you! Let family shineHayley and Taylor-Ann are both incredible girls. Hayley is a champion for plus-size women and Taylor-Ann is in The Rich Kids of Beverly Hills. It’s a stupid show but she says she can use it to get followers and do what she really wants. I’m really proud of them because a lot of celebrity kids live in their parents’ shadows. They keep me in line and focused, because when I’m healthy and on my game I see them shine.

David and daughters Taylor Ann (L) and Hayley (R) (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)Bend the rulesI think we all have a million talents. If you are young and you have a passion for something sport or music, whatever you should follow your natural instinct. It may turn out not ultimately what you want in life but if you’ve a God-given talent, try it.

I told my daughters the only way to hit a home run is to get in the game. If you’re an actor you need to steal, lie, cheat your way on to the movie set. Do anything it takes. Don’t believe the hypeThe thing I regret is what people think they know about me because of the publicity.

Piers Morgan called me Breaking News Hasselhoff because every time he turned on the news it was something about me.

It’s ridiculous but it’s because I sell tickets, sell papers for some reason.

I was talking to Hulk Hogan the other day and it’s the same thing with him.

He’s the nicest guy I ever met and he doesn’t deserve all the stuff he gets.

But it isn’t how hard you fall, it’s how fast you pick yourself up and get back in the race.