Alan Brazil reveals on his return to talkSPORT that he had two weeks to live and said goodbyes to family before life-saving surgery.
The 67 year old has made his return to the radio station after four months away, and has opened up in his first show.
He said that his heart stopped beating on the operating table while having a liver transplant. He also thanked the NHS and doctors after they found the ‘perfect match’ for him.
🙌 "Buzzing to see you're back!"
🤣 "I hear you're in better shape than Gabby at the moment!"
Jack Grealish sends a message to Alan Brazil on his return to talkSPORT! ❤️👏 pic.twitter.com/7eEDyjjrtF
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) August 5, 2026
He said on Wednesday’s talkSPORT breakfast show: “I’m not going to bore everyone but it was remarkable really what happened. One minute I’m doing this. I finish at quarter to ten. I’m in a car outside and I’m like what’s going on? Straight down to Addenbrookes in Cambridge and a few hours later they opened me up and stick a new liver in there.
“So I did have cancer on my liver. We suspected that for months, but I didn’t want to go in and touch it and shake it up in case you could make it spread.
“But anyway they decided that first of all they said the perfect match came in or else I might still be waiting.
“People who know what I’m talking about who are on the list. You can wait 18 months. You can go down there to get the procedure and get ready to have the op and they say it’s not quite right.
“Go away, come back and we’ll phone you later, maybe in a few weeks and it can be murder. But I was so lucky I went down there. They said we’ve got one and it looks perfect. So we’re going to do it now.
“You have to sign a few forms and you get carried in there and it’s goodbye to everyone. That’s how bad it was. The wife’s in tears, it’s horrible.
“That was the stage where I had to get it done or it was see you later. I didn’t realise it was that extreme.
“They told me said another couple of weeks you were gone. So anyway I had seven eight hours there and it was a fluid build up I had was horrendous.
“I don’t want to put people off their breakfast but they cut me open and there was a flood. It was that bad everywhere I had it.
“But seven, eight hours I was in there. Well, it wasn’t as easy as that because I did have a few complications when my heart stopped for 40 seconds. I asked ‘did you get the old jump leads on’? They were about to take action but it came back. So I’ve had loads of tests now on that but that’s fine.
“Seven or eight hours later I came out. I was in intensive care for a few days and then on the main ward and amazingly when I came around I started to feel like a different person.
“It might have been week two and a half. I got up and walked around the ward and I thought it was remarkable.
“I felt my breathing was better, my legs were okay and it was a case of just test after test after test.”
He added: “I’ll say again it’s not everyone’s cup of tea the NHS but there just is too many bodies down there need looking after and it’s not fair on the staff and the nurses.
“There are people screaming at them shouting at them. Don’t get me wrong patients, some of them are really in pain but there’s one nurse looking after 12-13 beds at night during the night. it’s impossible. It’s got to be a revamp.
“I’m next to the fax machine and stuff you know, it didn’t bother me but it just shows you how busy it is and you get some real idiots in there. Patients think it’s their own hospital.
I went in front of the fight. I thought I was going to knock someone out.”
Here’s the social media reaction as Alan Brazil reveals he had two weeks to live and said goodbyes to family before life-saving surgery…
@adamgray50: It’s been brilliant to hear the big man back on the breakfast show today. Alan Brazil IS @talkSPORT. #talksport
@craigbryandavid: So good to hear and see Alan Brazil back on talkSPORT and looking so healthy. @talkSPORT
@BettorKue3812: Alan Brazil on fine form. A bit of class and gravitas restored to the airwaves đź‘Š
@JJGilheany: Great to see him back and looking so healthy.
@CraigGoater87: Glad to hear @alanbrazil back on #TalkSport Wednesday mornings are back
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