Ian Rush reveals how close he came to dying after collapsing and being rushed to hospital, coming down with the super-flu.
The Liverpool legend revealed how he woke at 2am one day earlier in December struggling to breathe, collapsed at home, and required emergency ambulance transfer to hospital with oxygen support.
He had been admitted, thinking he “was a goner” when experiencing the terrifying ordeal, spending 48 hours in A&E and three more days in a ward at Countess of Chester Hospital, with his fiancée Carol stayed by his side, helping him through recovery.
Now he’s over in Dubai advised to get some sunshine and to make used of the facilities there. He adds that his flu jab possibly saved him from worse outcomes and urged others to get vaccinated.
View this post on Instagram
In his first interview, Rush said to the Mirror: “It was frightening, and I honestly thought I wasn’t going to survive. I got up around 2am because I was struggling to breathe and went downstairs to make myself a cup of tea.
“Because I hadn’t been feeling too great anyway I had booked an appointment to see my doctor at 9am. It got to around 4am and I was feeling worse.
“Carol [fiancée] called the ambulance because I was now really fighting hard to breathe. They came within 10 minutes and stayed with me for an hour and a half and they were brilliant.
“They asked if I wanted to go to the hospital, but I had come round and was feeling a lot better so decided to remain at home. But within 10 minutes of them leaving I collapsed and so we had to phone again for an ambulance.
“This time the ambulance took a lot longer to arrive. I was on the floor gasping for breath. I honestly thought this was it, I was a goner. I was panicking, but while we were waiting for another ambulance Carol got me through it all by telling me how to try and calm down and breathe more easily. She was fantastic.
“When the ambulance people came I was on the floor completely white and looking as if I needed to be resuscitated. I needed oxygen to help me get through a terrifying experience.
“Eventually they got me into the ambulance to take me to the Countess of Chester hospital just a few miles away with the blue light activated. I was in A&E for 48 hours and in a general ward for three days after that before being allowed home.
“Carol stayed by my bedside every night without fail. Liverpool Football Club were fantastic and provided the support and love which made everything so much better. They are a family club after all, and that’s what counts in times like this. LFC went above and beyond.
“It certainly made me think more about life. There are three things – which will remain private – which I vowed to address as quickly as possible.
“Too often you always put things off. Well this was some reality check and I will sort things out without hesitation in 2026. It’s like I’ve had a second chance and I’m determined to make the most of it.”
View this post on Instagram
“I was told the best way to aid my physical recovery was to enjoy some sunshine so here I am in Dubai.
“I was due to come out to Dubai anyway for a world sports summit involving various sports people like Cristiano Ronaldo and Novak Djokovic. I’m involved due to talk about my career. It’s about the one percent in sports stars that makes the difference.
“The vision is that of his excellency Khalfan Belhoul and being a good friend he has been a great support and its an honour to represent the one percent of top sports people and to fly the flag for LFC in the region.
“The vision is that of his excellency Khalfan Belhoul and being a good friend he has been a great support and its an honour to represent the one percent of top sports people and to fly the flag for LFC in the region.
“The sports council here have been fantastic allowing me to use some superb facilities. I’m doing a lot of swimming. The facilities here are second to none and I feel a million times better. I do special breathing exercises three times a day.
“I’m chilling out so when I return home next month I will feel back to normal. After all, we are all human. It doesn’t matter who you are, everyone is vulnerable to illness. I’ve had some great messages which have really helped me.
“Luckily just before all this I had my flu jab. Without it I was told things could have been even worse, so for anyone reading this don’t hesitate to have yours.”
Liverpool FC legends gathered for a heartfelt message which was sent to Ian Rush. John Barnes shared a group photo to Instagram. “Our Liverpool Legends meet up for an annual Christmas drink. Great turn out Merry Christmas everyone. Our best wishes and speedy recovery to our great friend Ian [Rush].”
He wrote: “Great to meet up with all the lads for our annual Christmas drink @doubletreeliverpool great turn out Merry Christmas 🎅 everyone 🙏❤️.
“@johnaldo474 @rob9fowler @sirkennethdalglish @nmellor33 @phil.thompson4 @nmellor33 @steven.mcmanaman @brucegrobbelaar @michael4thomas… can you name all the others 😉 Our best wishes and speedy recovery to our great friend @ian_rush9 ❤️”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login