Ince recalls holding Hoddle after heart attack as ex-pros urge fans to learn CPR

Paul Ince has described holding Glenn Hoddle’s head in his hands as his former England manager fought for his life following a heart attack in a TV studio almost eight years ago, speaking out as part of a British Heart Foundation initiative to teach football fans CPR and defibrillator skills.

Hoddle collapsed on his birthday while working alongside Ince at a broadcast studio. A sound engineer on site performed continuous CPR and used a defibrillator to revive him before emergency services arrived. “It was Glenn’s birthday and it turned into probably the worst experience I’ve had in my life,” Ince said. “I had his head in my hands trying to keep him awake, talking about the World Cup in ‘98 and our time together at Wolves. He would not be here if we were not lucky enough to have someone there who knew how to use a defibrillator and perform CPR.”

Ince has now joined Neil Ruddock, Julian Dicks, Iain Dowie and Roy Keane to form what the campaign describes as a “toughest-ever” five-a-side team, fronting the latest phase of the Every Minute Matters initiative run in conjunction with the British Heart Foundation. The campaign, which has been running for three years, was prompted in part by research showing that over two-thirds of football fans believe fear could stop them from using a defibrillator in an emergency.

“When a heart stops, you don’t need to be the toughest person in the room to be a hero, you just need to feel empowered to act,” Ince said. “A defibrillator is there to help you, not test you. It guides you every step of the way and there’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s impossible to hurt someone.”

Neil Ruddock cited the death of his close friend Justin Edinburgh as a personal motivation. Edinburgh, a former footballer and manager, collapsed in a gym at the age of 49 in 2019. “He was the fittest man you would ever see,” Ruddock said. “He collapsed in a gym that did not have a defibrillator and we lost him. It was so tragic. That is why this means a lot to me.”

Both Ince and Ruddock are directing fans towards the British Heart Foundation’s free RevivR online training tool, which they say takes just 15 minutes to complete and covers both CPR technique and defibrillator use.