West Ham legend Tony Cottee believes the quick-thinking of Phil Thompson saved his life.
Cottee, 54, is a regular on Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday alongside Liverpool great Thompson.
The pair were filming an advert during the summer when Cottee discovered he had a brain haemorrhage, after Thompson had called on doctors to check on him.
Cottee, who also enjoyed spells with Everton and Leicester , admits he was suffering the "worst headache I've ever had" after playing golf.
"The pain in my neck was horrific and my head was ready to explode. I knew I was in trouble. I rang Thommo. He came down and was like, "Flippin' heck, look at you". My eyes were popping out. He went to reception and paid for a doctor to come to the hotel," Cottee told the Mail.
An ambulance was immediately called and Cottee underwent an MRI scan and tests at West Middlesex Hospital, that showed a brain haemorrhage.
It had been suggested that he would require a brain operation but doctors determined surgery was not necessary.
"I was so lucky. It could have caused a stroke, an aneurysm, I could have dropped dead. It was a warning. I'd been doing too much," Cottee added.
The former striker returned to work with Sky earlier this season and immediately saw Anfield legend Thompson.
He said "The first person I saw was Thommo, I gave him the biggest cuddle. It was an emotional moment - and I never thought I'd say that after hugging Phil Thompson! I will forever be thankful to him, he was there when I needed him.
"If I'd stayed in bed all day and tried to ride through it, without that doctor coming, who knows what would have happened."
