TED EX BOOZE CRISIS

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A grief-stricken Joan Kennedy fell off the wagon and was rushed to the hospital on the night her ex-husband Ted Kennedy died!

The Kennedy clan has been hiding that bombshell secret since the senator lost his battle with brain cancer on Aug. 25.

Those close to Joan say she has continued to backslide on her sobriety since her hospitalization, and they fear she has months to live if she continues drinking.

"Joan has confessed to some family members that she could be dead in six months’ time," a close source told The ENQUIRER. "Her liver is failing, and she’s got other problems, including dementia."

The 73-year-old blonde, who’s been divorced from Ted since 1983, has been arrested four times for drunk driving and treated several times for alcohol abuse.

In 2005, she was found sprawled on a sidewalk near her condo in Boston, and was hospitalized with a concussion and a fractured shoulder.

Afterward, her children – Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Kara and Teddy Jr. – went to court and sought to have her declared mentally incompetent and placed in a temporary guardianship.

In October 2007, she locked herself in a bathroom at a health club and was drinking Listerine mouthwash, which contains more than 20 percent alcohol.

The following month, she was put into detox in a Boston hospital after being intoxicated at a charity function.

Joan "held steady" for more than a year, but began to break down as Ted’s cancer battle neared its end, an insider told The ENQUIRER.

"Although Ted had remarried, Joan turned into a basket case as she recalled old memories of the days she was in love with him," said the insider.

"She finally fell apart on the night he passed. Although she’s watched by minders, Joan managed to get hold of alcohol."

She was found writhing on the floor in pain, and was rushed to Cape Cod Hospital, where doctors pumped her stomach, said the source.

"Joan spent the night in the hospital and was released the next day, but it was covered up by the Kennedy family," the insider divulged.

For all the details pick up the new ENQUIRER!