IAN RUSH has applauded his “fantastic” partner for guiding him through a terrifying ordeal that put him in hospital.
Liverpool and Wales legend Rush, 64, contracted ‘super flu’ and collapsed in the kitchen of his Chester home earlier this month.
He began struggling for breath in the middle of the night so his fiancee – 42-year-old Irish model and singer Carol Anthony – called an ambulance.
Medics tended to Rush for an hour and a half but within 10 minutes of them leaving, he took another turn and collapsed.
And it was the soothing words of partner Carol, who is 22 years his junior, that got him through it.
Rush told The Mirror: “It was frightening, and I honestly thought I wasn’t going to survive.”
He added: “I was on the floor gasping for breath. I honestly thought this was it, I was a goner. I was panicking.
“Carol got me through it all by telling me how to try and calm down and breathe more easily. She was fantastic.
“When the ambulance people came I was on the floor completely white and looking as if I needed to be resuscitated. I needed oxygen to help me get through a terrifying experience.”
Rush ended up being blue-lighted to the Countess of Chester hospital.
There, he spent two days in A&E and another three in a general ward before being cleared to return home.
And Carol, who has been engaged to Rush since 2019, once again showed her true colours.
Rush said: “Carol stayed by my bedside every night without fail.
“Liverpool Football Club were fantastic and provided the support and love which made everything so much better.”
