British boxing legend Frank Bruno has revealed that he ‘feared the worst’ after suffering a scare during a long-haul flight in March.
The 63-year-old took ill on the flight just over two hours after departing Heathrow. He required a wheelchair to leave the aircraft and was rushed to hospital in Doha, where he spent weeks being treated for a virus.
Two months on, Bruno has revealed the dread he felt when he awoke in a Qatari hospital after the event, and he hailed the contribution of his PA Paul Hunter, who he believes played a crucial role in his survival.
‘I did fear the worst because I have never been like that in my life,’ Bruno told the Sun. ‘If Paul hadn’t been there, I don’t think I would have been sitting here doing this interview with you.’
He added: ‘On the plane, I was just agitated and couldn’t chill out. I got up to go to the toilet and all of a sudden I forgot what was happening to me.
‘I just blacked out. I had a fever but don’t really remember what happened at all. It was crazy.’
British boxing legend Frank Bruno has revealed that he ‘feared the worst’ after suffering a scare during a long-haul flight
Bruno was diagnosed with a viral infection last month and was ordered to take time off work
Bruno, who won the world heavyweight title in 1995, claimed to have never experienced such a thing before and said he was forced to accept the lengthy recovery process ‘because my life was on the line’.
The boxing legend was headed to Thailand to fulfil four meet-and-greet speaking events.
He continued: ‘I felt bad because there’s a lot of British people in Thailand who had bought tickets and a lot of people involved who were disappointed. I’ve been to Thailand before and I have a laugh over there.’
Bruno has since made a full recovery and posted a photo of himself relaxing in a hammock on Instagram, while also enjoying some time with his family over the Easter holidays.
Father-of-four Bruno is one of the most popular boxers Britain has ever produced.
He won 40 of his 45 professional fights during a career that spanned 14 years between 1982 and 1996.
He unsuccessfully challenged for the heavyweight title on three occasions, losing to Tim Witherspoon, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis, respectively.
However, he finally got his crowning moment at the fourth attempt when he beat Oliver McCall at Wembley Stadium in 1995 to win the WBC belt.
Bruno is one of Britain’s most popular fighters ever and won a world heavyweight title in 1995
His reign lasted six months before he was beaten by Tyson for the second time, and he retired shortly afterwards following medical advice due to a severe eye injury.
Boxing took its toll on Bruno, and last year his daughter, Rachel, revealed that he was undergoing scans in hospital amid fears his brain is on a ‘slow decline’.
Bruno has previously said he is just ‘happy’ to be alive following years of mental health struggles after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
His life took a downward turn after he was sectioned in 2003 and admitted to Goodmayes Hospital where he spent a number of weeks.
He has been readmitted to hospital on occasion for treatment since, including recently in 2021 when he hit ‘rock bottom’ during the coronavirus lockdown.
