TV presenter Richard Madeley was saved by his sister after almost choking to death on a piece of beef. The This Morning legend recalled a near miss where he neglected to chew a piece of "very rare beef" properly during a meal out with friends, and it went "straight into the windpipe".
Choking incident
Madeley, 70, revealed: "I tried to cough it up but I had no air in the lungs to do that. I suddenly realised I was choking."
"Pandemonium ensued. People came round behind me they were hammering on my back. The minutes ticked by and it would not dislodge."
The telly favourite feared his time was up adding: "After two and a half - three minutes, I began to feel my world closing in, black dots coming on the side (of my eyes)."
Sister's intervention
Fortunately Madeley's sister Liz Lawrence was one of Richard's dinner guests trained in the life saving Heimlich manoeuvre. She had been in toilet and rushed to his aid when she could see the pandemonium at their table.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain Madeley recalled: "She did the Heimlich on me - three times and it didn't work, it was still lodged."
"I felt my knees give way and I went down and as I went down - thank God - she did it again."
"The combination of gravity and her doing it harder than before dislodged the beef, I got a little bit of air in and managed to cough it up, and ten seconds later I was back in the room; but it was touch and go."
Tribute and advice
Paying tribute to his sister he added: "If she hadn't known what to do, I would've died."
Always chew your food kids.
