ENGLAND legend Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock has revealed how Harry Redknapp’s show saved his life.
The former Liverpool centre-back disclosed that what he initially thought was dementia turned out to be a serious heart condition as doctors feared he had just two months to live.
Ruddock, 56, has turned his life around and reduced his alcohol intake as he credits his former gaffer’s TV show ‘Harry’s Heroes’.
Speaking to Nigel Farage on GB News, he said: “From when I left school until like 35, every day I was told where I’ve got to be.
“What I can eat, what I can’t drink, and all this. And when you’re 35 there was no sort of step back.
“There was no help when football finished. I turned into an 18-year-old kid and couldn’t wait to retire at 35 and start drinking and eating what I wanted and then I got 28 and a half stone.
“I did the Harry Heroes TV show. I was feeling dizzy. At the time there was a lot of talk about dementia in football, heading the ball.
“So I was going dizzy. So I thought, you know, ‘it’s dementia’. I went to see all the specialists and it was my heart, he said, ‘the way you’re going, you’ve got two months to live’.
“Trust me, that changed my life, and then they had to stop my heart, restart my heart. I got a pacemaker. I’ve had the gastric sleeve…because I’d given up on myself, basically.
“Without doing that TV show, I wouldn’t be here today.”
The award-winning documentary series was filmed in 2020.
It saw Redknapp tasked with turning a cohort of unfit England football legends from the 1990s into a winning team once more.
They included a host of familiar faces – such as David Seaman, Paul Merson and Matt Le Tissier – keen to prove that, even in middle age, they could still cut it on the pitch and beat old rivals Germany.
Viewers saw the ex-star players, who came from an era with a more relaxed approach to footie practice and healthy eating, as they adopted a rigorous new training and nutrition regime akin to that of today’s pros.
Former Liverpool ace and 2018 King of the Jungle, assistant John Barnes, successfully coached the blokes to a 4-2 victory.
Ruddock, who earned one England cap during his career, memorably told the lads about his heart scare in one of the episodes.
Meanwhile, Redknapp managed Ruddock when he played for West Ham in the late 1990s.
Asked what advice he would give to anyone else who was worried about their health, he said: “Go and see the doctor. It costs you nothing.
“If you’re driving your car and your car makes a noise, you take it to the mechanic and pay to get it fixed.
“If you’re not feeling well, go and see the doctor, because men are scared of going to see the doctor.
“It’s bad news, and you can’t go out Saturday night and watch football.
“Go get yourself checked out. It costs nothing.”
Ruddock unveiled his incredible 11-stone weight transformation earlier this year.
The 56-year-old began his weight loss journey back in 2021 after meeting TV personality James Argent.
The dad-of-two teenagers had ballooned to 27st during the Coronavirus pandemic, which put his health at serious risk.
He made 195 Premier League appearances during his career and played for the likes of Liverpool, West Ham, Tottenham, Southampton and Crystal Palace.
