PAUL INCE has opened up about the “worst experience of my life” when he was desperately trying to keep Glenn Hoddle awake after his old England boss had suffered a heart attack.
The pair were doing punditry for BT Sport on October 27, 2018 – on Hoddle’s 61st birthday – when the Spurs icon had a cardiac arrest.
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A quick-thinking sound engineer with first-aid training performed continuous CPR on Hoddle for eight to nine minutes, as well as using an on-site defibrillator to deliver a shock, before the paramedics arrived.
Ince consoled Hoddle by talking him through their shared football experiences as he held his former gaffer’s head in his hands – before the former Chelsea chief, thankfully, made a full recovery.
Ince said: “It was probably the worst experience in my life.
“We were playing table football and the next minute he just keeled over and had a heart attack, a cardiac arrest.
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“I had his head in my hands trying to keep him awake, talking about the World Cup in ‘98, about our time at Wolves.
“I was probably sat there for about an hour until the medical people came. Now when I speak to him it’s on the golf course!”
It underlined to Ince the importance of everyone, ideally, being able to use a defibrillator.
Which is why the former Manchester United star, 58, is part of the campaign Every Minute Matters, where Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation have a mission to put a stop to fear of using the life-saving equipment.
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Research commissioned by Sky Bet and BHF claimed that 69 per cent of football fans surveyed believe fear could stop them using a defibrillator.
Ince added: “It shows you how important it is to get to people as quickly as possible when they’re in serious trouble.
“The fact that the defibs are in all these communities, if someone was to collapse now, 200 yards away you’d be able to get a defib machine.
“The machine does it for you, it’s not hard to work, so it’s a great, great cause.
“When I think about Glenn and see what he’s doing now, it brings a smile to my face.”