'The NHS Saved My Life'

Hairy Biker Si King on his terrifying health scare and why he wants to celebrate the NHS…

- Tess Lamacraft

Best known as one half of fun cooking duo the Hairy Bikers, Si King has long been a regular on our TV screens along with his colleague Dave Myers. Yet four years ago he was at serious risk of dying when he suffered a brain aneurysm.

‘The consultant told me later if I hadn’t got myself straight to hospital, I wouldn’t be here now,’ Si, 51, tells TV Times.

In new daytime series Matron, Medicine and Me, he and four other famous faces – Fern Britton, Denise Lewis, former CBeebies presenter Cerrie Burnell and Dr Rangan Chatterjee – take turns sharing their stories and reveal why they owe so much to the NHS, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this month.

In an exclusive interview, father-of-three Si recalls his terrifying ordeal and how he’ll be forever grateful to those who saved him...

Rewinding to 2014, when did you first realise that something was very wrong?