Extravagant racing pundit John McCririck fell ill during Tuesday’s Cheltenham Festival and had to be taken to hospital.
McCririck was quick to dispel the seriousness of his illness and said he hoped to return to the famous racetrack for Friday’s Gold Cup. He is currently undergoing tests at Cheltenham General Hospital.
“I didn’t collapse, as some people have said, but I felt all faint and woozy,” said the 72-year-old former Channel 4 pundit. “I couldn’t stand and I started fainting, so they carted me in here and are doing all sorts of tests.
“I’m surviving, which is a damn nuisance. I feel absolutely fine. I feel like walking out now but it’s not allowed, apparently. I’ll be kept in at least overnight but the head doctor here seems to think I’ll be all right to go racing on Friday, so it can’t be that bad. Whether it’s blood pressure or something else, I don’t know. These sort of things happen.”
McCririck spent decades working with Channel 4, but the relationship turned sour when he was told his service would no longer be required at the end of last year. He is currently involved in a law suit with his former employer on the grounds of alleged age discrimination.
