Photos: Photos: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy – Embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said Wednesday, April 30, that he is taking a break from his re-election campaign and his mayoral duties to seek help for alcohol abuse. The announcement came hours after a local newspaper reported on a new video that allegedly shows Ford smoking crack cocaine on Saturday, April 27. Ford's fall from grace started in May 2013, when a cell phone video taken months earlier appeared to show him smoking crack. Hide Caption 1 of 9

Photos: Photos: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy – In the video purportedly filmed April 27, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported that Ford is seen smoking what a drug dealer described as crack from a copper-colored pipe. Two Globe and Mail reporters viewed the video, and the publication said it was shot in what appears to be Ford's sister's basement. The paper said the substance in the pipe could not be confirmed. Hide Caption 2 of 9

Photos: Photos: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy – Ford accidentally knocks down Councilor Pam McConnell, in green, as he runs toward hecklers at City Hall in Toronto on Monday, November 18. That month, the city council stripped him of most of his power as mayor. Hide Caption 3 of 9

Photos: Photos: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy – Ford reacts to city council members on Thursday, November 14, after former aides told police they had concerns about Ford's drug use and drunken driving. Hide Caption 4 of 9

Photos: Photos: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy – Ford displays a milk mustache as he takes part in voting with city council members November 14 in Toronto. Hide Caption 5 of 9

Photos: Photos: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy – Hundreds gather in Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square on Wednesday, November 13, to call for Ford to resign. Hide Caption 6 of 9

Photos: Photos: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy – Ford responds to Councilor Denzil Minnan-Wong's motion for him to step down, refusing to take a leave on November 13. Hide Caption 7 of 9

Photos: Photos: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy Toronto Mayor Rob Ford controversy – Ford addresses the media at Toronto's City Hall on Tuesday, November 5, as he acknowledges that he smoked crack "probably a year ago," when he was in a "drunken stupor." But he refused to resign despite immense pressure. Hide Caption 8 of 9