FILE - Tonya Harding appears with her attorney, Jon McMullen, during her court appearance on probabtion violation Thursday, June 27, 2002, at the Camas Washougal Municipal Court in Washougal, Wash. (AP file photo) | ZOOM |

        VANCOUVER, Wash. — Tonya Harding drove drunk and has a problem with alcohol, she admitted Monday as part of a deal that lets her avoid a conviction if she stays out of trouble for five years.

        Harding must complete outpatient alcohol counseling for two years, said her lawyer, Steven Thayer. If she stays out of trouble for five years, the charges will be dismissed.

        “I have a problem and now I'm going to take care of it,” the former figure skater said. “It's actually good for me.”

        Thayer said: “It's an opportunity for her to take a positive step to address her problem with alcohol. She's been participating in counseling for the past couple weeks and making good progress.”

        Harding, 31, was driving her 1977 Dodge pickup on the early morning of April 20 when it veered off the road and crashed into a ditch. Neither Harding nor her 23-year-old male passenger was hurt.

        Harding claimed the power steering went out on the truck. She failed a field sobriety test administered by a sheriff's deputy, and her blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.16 — twice the legal limit in Washington.

        At the time, Harding was on probation after an assault on her boyfriend two years ago.

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