TV presenter Richard Madeley has said he nearly choked to death on a piece of “very rare beef” before being saved by his sister. The 70-year-old said he swallowed the food without chewing properly during a “lively discussion”. The star said the piece of beef went “straight into the windpipe”.
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain to Dr Hilary Jones, Madeley said: “I tried to cough it up but I had no air in the lungs to do that. I suddenly realised I was choking. People came round behind me, they were hammering on my back.
The minutes ticked by and it wouldn’t dislodge. Madeley said: “She did the Heimlich on me. One, two, three times and it didn’t work, it was still lodged.
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The service advises members of the public to encourage the person choking “to cough to try to clear the blockage”, before leaning them forward and placing “five sharp blows between their shoulder blades with the heel of your hand”, should coughing not prove effective. Should this still not work, it says to “clench one fist and place it just above their belly button, place your other hand on top of your fist and pull sharply inwards and upwards”. This should be repeated up to five times.
If the person becomes unresponsive, an emergency 999 call should be made immediately. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
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