Entertainment
I’m A Celebrity 2021: Campmates shocked as David Ginola details his 12-minute brush with death
David revealed the story to Naughty Boy, Richard, Arlene and Danny (Picture: ITV/Rex/Shutterstock)
Football legend David Ginola shocked his campmates in the Clink by revealing his near-death experience on Monday’s episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
The Frenchman, who suffered a heart attack on the pitch while playing in a charity match in 2016, shared all with his campmates Naughty Boy, Dame Arlene Phillips, Good Morning Britain star Richard Madeley and Emmerdale actor Danny Miller.
As producer Naughty Boy asked the 54-year-old the truth behind what he heard, he admitted ‘I didn’t think that was possible’ as the sportsman said that he was technically dead for 12 minutes.
David recalled that he had ‘just fallen to the floor’ while playing, and CPR was performed on him for 12 minutes.
He explained: ‘They shocked me one time, two times, three times… they said, ‘I think your friend is dead.’ A fourth, fifth time… the fifth time, a heartbeat.’
He also revealed how the surgeon had called him ‘very lucky’ and ‘a miracle’.
The footballer detailed what happened to him in 2016 (Picture: ITV/Rex/Shutterstock)
Danny also admitted to a crush on David (Picture: ITV/Rex/Shutterstock)
‘Yeah… the surgeon said, “You’ve been very lucky David, it’s a miracle. In your condition 9 out of 10 would have died.”’
The footballer admitted that his experience left him ‘full of questions’.
‘‘Is it a message, am I going back for a second life for a purpose?’, he said. ‘Because when you’re fighting when you’re dead, you’re on the crossroads… there’s life and death.’
Richard remarked: ‘I guess some people just have an innately stronger survival instinct than other people.’
He later added that David’s opening up demonstrated ‘how quickly we’ve become very, very close’.
‘Now that is a big story to tell. You don’t ask somebody lightly to talk about that.’
Richard was impressed by David (Picture: ITV/Rex/Shutterstock)
David added to his campmates: ‘It’s one of a kind, because you don’t have any warnings. You could just walk like this and boom, fall over and it’s over.’
Naughty Boy went in for a hug to thank the former Premier League player for sharing.
More: I’m A Celebrity
David then broke the mood, saying: ‘Come on, let’s cook some rice. We need some rice and beans to get stuck in!’
Elsewhere he was making quite an impression on Arlene and Danny, who both admitted to crushes on the Frenchman as they admired how he got stuck in with tasks, and worked out.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! continues tonight at 9pm on ITV.
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