David Ginola details the moment he ‘passed away for 12 minutes’ during I’m A Celebrity

Football legend David Ginola detailed during Monday night’s I’m A Celebrity how he ‘passed away for 12 minutes’ after having a heart attack in 2017.

The French sports star, 54, was reeling off his exercise regime to Dame Arlene Phillips when Naughty Boy asked about the ordeal, which occurred during a charity match four years ago. 

The DJ asked: ‘Is that true about something that happened to you? You died and came back?’

I’m A Celebrity 2021: David Ginola detailed the moment he ‘passed away for 12 minutes’ after having a heart attack on the pitch back in 2017

‘I passed away for 12 minutes,’ David said, to which Naughty Boy replied, ‘I didn’t think that was possible.’ 

The former Spurs and Newcastle footballer explained in full: ‘Just playing football and at one stage you just fall on the floor. So they have to perform CPR for 12 minutes and they arrive with the defibrillator and 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. The surgeon said, “You’ve been very lucky David, it’s a miracle. In your condition 9 out of 10 would have died.”‘

Trauma: The French sports star, 54, was reeling off his exercise regime to Dame Arlene Phillips when Naughty Boy asked about the ordeal, which occurred during a charity match

Honest: The former Spurs and Newcastle footballer explained: ‘Just playing football and at one stage you just fall on the floor. So they have to perform CPR for 12 minutes’

He added: ‘When you come back from that you just have your mind full of questions: “Is it a message, am I going back for a second life for a purpose?” Because when you’re fighting when you’re dead, you’re on the crossroad – there’s life and death.’ 

Speaking in the castle Telegraph, Richard Madeley drew on the close bonds the campmates had quickly formed.   

‘Here’s a good example of how quickly we’ve become very, very close in here and very open with each other. Now that is a big story to tell. You don’t ask somebody lightly to talk about that,’ the presenter said. 

Moved: Speaking in the Telegraph, Richard Madeley drew on the close bonds the campmates had quickly formed

During the terrifying moment four years ago, David swallowed his tongue and stopped breathing, leaving him clinically dead until paramedics arrived with a defibrillator.

Surgeons needed to perform a quadruple bypass to save his life. 

David rounded up the conversation by saying: ‘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. It is crazy when you think about it. Come on, let’s cook some rice. We need some rice and beans to get stuck in!’

Life changing: During the terrifying moment four years ago, David swallowed his tongue and stopped breathing, leaving him clinically dead until paramedics arrived with a defibrillator