"I thought I was going to die": Chris Tarrant talks of stroke on flight

Chris Tarrant has spoken about suffering a stroke on a flight from Bangkok to London.

The TV presenter said it was the "most terrifying moment of my life" and feared he would die.

Speaking to The Sun on Sunday (paywall), Tarrant said: "I got very panicky. I was very alone up there, thinking, 'I could die'.

"I wasn't sure if I was going to fade away completely on my own.

"I am incredibly lucky to be alive because one in three people who have strokes don't make it.

"It has made me appreciate my life so much more."

In his first interview about the scare, the 67-year-old said: "I thought about telling the crew but they were Thai and didn't speak very good English. I thought, 'What are they going to do? We're in mid-air'".

Chris told The Sun how he "sat tight" and until he arrived at Heathrow to try and "drag himself to passport control" to ask for help.

"But I keeled over. It felt like my legs had been taken away from me."

The Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? host said a British couple came to his aid and called an ambulance.

He was then rushed to Charing Cross Hospital.

Chris told The Sun that doctors found a blood clot in his leg which had caused the stroke.

The dad-of-six had travelled to Thailand to film a new series about railways and also visited Bolivia and Burma.

Related articles

British Airways plane makes emergency landing as woman gives birth early

Teen dies in sand dune collapse on Irish beach