- Frank Bruno was rushed to hospital after falling ill on a flight earlier this month
- The British boxing hero has now broken his silence following his health scare
British boxing legend Frank Bruno has broken his silence after falling ill on a long-haul flight and being rushed to hospital.
The health scare occurred on March 3 when Bruno, 63, was flying from Heathrow to Thailand via Doha, Qatar.
He landed in Qatar and was treated by medics, who subsequently diagnosed him with a viral infection and kept him in hospital for two weeks, according to The Sun.
Doctors even confiscated his passport so that he could not try and get away.
Bruno, who won the world heavyweight title in 1995, has now sent a message out to his fans on social media as he confirmed he has been told to rest, but vowed to return to work when he is given the green light by doctors.
‘Morning so my illness story is out!’ he wrote on X. ‘Now you know why I have been quiet on social media. The last 3 weeks have been tough especially not knowing what was wrong with me and a Viral infection can mean loads of things between Dave in the office and me we’ll keep you informed.
Frank Bruno has broken his silence after falling ill on a flight earlier this month
Bruno won the world heavyweight title in 1995 and is one of Britain’s most popular fighters ever
Bruno revealed he has been told to rest while he recovers from his viral infection
‘At the moment I am told I cannot go to work so for the jobs last week and this weekend please accept my apology however the office is telling me most bookers want to transfer the booked dates.
‘The office tells me already this morning hundreds of messages from well wishers so thank you. Cant wait to get back to work.’
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.
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 lost to Mike Tyson twice in his professional boxing career
Boxing took its toll on Bruno, and his daughter revealed last year that he is undergoing brain scans
‘We have learned recently that his brain might be on a slow decline,’ she said.
‘They are just doing scans and tests at the moment. With the impact of his career and constant knocks to the head, it’s obviously probably not helped.
‘We don’t know how fast his brain is going to decline. It’s sad but we’re a strong family and we want to cherish these moments.’
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.
