Oscar Pistorius is a broken man who thinks of ending his life, a close friend has revealed.
The Olympics hero is a shadow of the star who thrilled the world as the amazing Blade Runner with prosthetic legs, the Sunday People reports.
He has been selling his belongings to fund his soaring legal fees since he was charged with murdering his girlfriend, a sensational documentary will reveal.
One of the athlete’s dearest friends Mike Azzi, who Pistorius fondly calls uncle Mike, said: “There is no confidence in his tone of voice.
“He’s just like someone walking around in circles.
“He doesn’t know where he is going. I would say that, just by speaking to him, he is a broken man.
“I’d go as far as to say he would be on the verge of suicide.
“It really worries me. I get the feeling that he’s really hurting and he’s an inkling of the man that he used to be.”
The conversation appears in a BBC documentary Oscar Pistorius: What really happened?”
Among the revelations is how Pistorius, 26, showed bravado after he was arrested over the Valentine’s Day shooting and told police: “I’ll survive. I always win.”
It was his response to a senior officer who had warned him: “You could go to jail for a very long time, Oscar.”
Since then he has sold shares in one of his race horses, Tiger Canyon, and plans to sell more of his property.
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Police also confirmed the key witness who reported hearing screams and shots has come forward.
The witness lives 150 metres from Pistorius’s luxury home in the highly secured Silver Woods estate in South Africa’s capital Pretoria.
Investigators also revealed the bathroom door through which Reeva Steenkamp was shot opens inwards.
It means she could have used her body to try to stop it being pushed open.
Detectives said they were no longer concerned with whether Pistorius put on his legs before he shot Reeva, 29.
They also confirmed that two dogs were in the grounds of the house when the shooting happened and there was a ladder, as Pistorius had described.
His statement was: “There are no burglar bars across the bathroom window and I knew contractors who worked at my house had left the ladders outside.”
The men worked on a Jacuzzi on one of Pistorius’s balconies and their ladder was found lying on the floor.
Mike, a racing horse trainer, said Pistorius was a close family friend.
They have been in regular contact since the star was released on £73,000 bail.
Mike said: “He just always seems to mention Reeva and to ask us to pray for her and her family.
“Most of all you’ve got to understand that we are there for him and we will always be his friend.
“I don’t know what to think. If you ask me, ‘Do you believe Oscar could do it?’
“I’d have to say no because I’ve never seen that side of him. But in life there are those moments of madness where people are just uncontrollable.
“I pray to God that’s not the case with him. As for Reeva and her family, how can one ever say to them that, from Oscar’s side, you’re sorry this happened? “They’ve lost a child, a beautiful shining star. It’s just a terrible tragedy.”
Pistorius hit the heights competing in the Olympics last summer then winning double gold in the Paralympics.
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Since his arrest he has racked up legal fees of more than £200,000. Once the trial starts that will climb far higher.
Sponsorship deals with companies Nike and Oakley have dried up and Pistorius has asked friends to help him get rid of belongings to raise cash.
Mike said: “We spoke about one or two of the horses. He’s asked me to try to get people to buy them for him because he has no form of income any longer.
“He’s selling off all his property and everything because of the legal costs.”
Mike’s son Dexter has often spent the weekend at Pistorius’s home.
He said of the shooting: “I believe it was an accident, as Oscar said it was. We’ve spoken over texts. He often asks people to keep Reeva in his prayers. It’s one of the first things he says to me every time we speak.
“He has said to me on a number of occasions that he’s really hurting and he’s a broken man.”
Dexter was at the house two weeks before Christmas and recalled how he knocked over a fan and Pistorius became panic-stricken.
The athlete immediately grabbed his gun for protection before shouting to check if Dexter was OK.
He said: “I can believe Oscar’s story is true. I know he was paranoid in that sense because of things that went on.”
The whole estate where Pistorius lives bristles with hi-tech security plus armed guards and dogs. The last incident was an inside job – a robbery at gunpoint in 2011 which involved a rogue guard.
Police in Johannesburg added they are looking at Reeva’s iPhone with its “massive” number of text messages.
Pistorius’s phone, which was in the bathroom next to Reeva’s, the 9mm pistol used and the path of the bullets through the door are all being examined.
Officers believe neither Reeva nor Pistorius were drunk.
They intend to push for a full murder trial and will refuse a lesser plea.
Hilton Botha, the officer first put in charge, was taken off the case after he was ridiculed at an early hearing.
It also emerged he was suspected of an attempted murder. He quit the force last week.
In the first stages of the investigation there were suggestions of bungling.
Police failed to find a bullet in the lavatory bowl. It was picked up by an independent team hired by Pistorius and had traces of Reeva’s brain and blood.
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