Alan Brazil reveals his heart stopped during emergency liver transplant operation

Alan Brazil’s heart stopped beating on the operating table during a liver transplant that saved his life, the 66-year-old broadcaster revealed on Tuesday morning when he returned to TalkSPORT’s breakfast show after a prolonged absence.

Brazil, a former midfielder who played for Ipswich Town, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, credited the surgical team at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge with keeping him alive. “The guys at Addenbrooke’s Hospital saved my life,” he told listeners. “I’m on the mend — I’m still not there, getting there guys.”

Speaking candidly about his recovery, Brazil said he expects to return to his regular presenting duties within weeks. “It’s going to be a few more weeks, hopefully two or three, and then I’m getting back,” he said. “I’m alive and kicking, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Brazil acknowledged the difficult period with characteristic humour, referencing the health struggles affecting others of his generation. “It’s been a funny few months, it really has,” he said. “There’s a lot of rubbish going on at the moment — there’s heartbreak and Kenny [Dalglish], Kevin Keegan, John Barnes — every day you read something different. It’s our age, I’m afraid. I cocked it and thank God, luckily, I’m still here.”

He said the volume of sport in recent months had helped sustain him through his recovery, and expressed particular excitement about upcoming fixtures involving Celtic, Rangers and Hearts, as well as the forthcoming World Cup.