Good Morning Britain presenter Richard Madeley has revealed he "very nearly died" after choking on a piece of beef during a family lunch. He shared the terrifying experience on Tuesday's (August 18) edition of the ITV programme, alongside co-host Ranvir Singh, as Dr Hilary Jones demonstrated what to do if someone is choking.
Choking incident during family lunch
Richard explained that the ordeal happened several years ago while he was enjoying a family Sunday lunch at a restaurant. He had been caught up in a lively conversation with his brother-in-law and, eager to get back into the chat, swallowed a piece of fairly rare beef before properly chewing it.
"I very, very, very, very nearly died from choking a number of years ago," Richard told viewers. He described the moment as "very scary" and detailed how the piece of beef went straight into his windpipe, leaving him unable to breathe or make a sound.
Body's reflex can be deadly
Richard explained that the body has a reflex which closes the airway to prevent water from entering the lungs, but said this can become deadly when food becomes lodged there. "It could kill you, because it closes around the food and locks it," he said. "And as we heard, you can't make a sound, because you can't get air up through the larynx, you can't breathe in, you can't breathe out."
He initially tried to cough the food up but quickly realised he had no air in his lungs with which to do so. He then stood up and tried to signal what was happening, which finally alerted his family to the emergency. "I stood up and did this to try and dislodge it from up my windpipe, which caught everyone's attention, because up until then, they didn't know what was happening."
Sister's quick action saves his life
Richard said "pandemonium ensued" as his family realised he was in serious danger. Family members began hitting him on the back in an attempt to dislodge the food, but the blockage remained. As the minutes passed, Richard said he began to lose consciousness. "After about two and a half, three minutes, I began to feel my world closing in, black dots coming on my side," he said. "And I kind of had a sense of acceptance to me, you know, this is it. This is how I'm going to go."
Thankfully, Richard's sister was also at the lunch. As a teacher, she had received training in what to do in an emergency and immediately stepped in. She attempted the manoeuvre several times, but initially the beef remained lodged. Richard said he could feel his knees giving way and he began to collapse. But as he went down, his sister performed the manoeuvre again. "Thank God, she did it again," he said.
The combination of gravity and her applying greater force finally dislodged the piece of beef. Richard managed to get some air back into his lungs before coughing up the obstruction moments later. Despite recovering, Richard admitted the experience had been "very scary" and said the outcome could have been very different if his sister had not known what to do. "If she hadn't known what to do, I would have died. No question," he said.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1 and ITVX.
