Harry Redknapp was a pillar of support for his wife Sandra during a terrifying health scare. (Image: PA)
Harry Redknapp has shared details of an alarming health crisis his wife confronted when she contracted a severe kidney infection. In 2018, Sandra was urgently taken to the hospital after falling ill while Harry was away for work.
At first, the cause of Sandra’s illness was unclear. However, subsequent tests uncovered that she was suffering from sepsis, a critical and potentially deadly response to infection.
The NHS advises that sepsis can rapidly deteriorate and necessitates immediate hospital treatment due to its life-threatening nature.
Fortunately, with timely medical intervention and the support of her family, Sandra’s life was likely saved. Statistics from The UK Sepsis Trust highlight the severity of this condition, affecting an estimated 245,000 individuals annually in the UK and resulting in approximately 48,000 deaths each year.
Harry Redknapp’s wife Sandra is now in a better place (Image: Getty)
If not recognised early and treated promptly, it can lead to shock, multiple organ failure and death.
While some patients also suffer from long-term effects after treatment, Harry said his wife of 59 years is thankfully “all good” and “keeping busy”.
“All good, touch wood, yeah we’re all okay,” he told us at Shoreditch’s Ruffians Barber Shop for World Cuts, a football-inspired activation from Viagogo and Ruffian.
“I got involved with a sepsis charity [to raise awareness]. It’s quite a scary illness, more people died with sepsis last year than three other major cancers, you’d never believe it. It’s scary.
“We didn’t really know what she had, it’s only when we rushed her to the hospital and she was getting very ill,” the 79-year-old added.
Harry Redknapp didn’t know what Sepsis was until Sandra’s emergency (Image: GETTY)
“I was in London at the time, I was managing, so I wasn’t coming home that night and my family rushed her up to the hospital and it’s lucky [they] did, otherwise, if she hadn’t had gone in that night, it could’ve been too late, that’s how dangerous it is,” he added.
The NHS says common symptoms of sepsis in adults include:
- Confusion or slurred speech
- Uncontrollable shivering
- Muscle pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Blue, pale, grey or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on black or brown skin this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
- A high or low temperature – a high temperature is less common in older adults
- Not peeing all day or peeing very little in the past 18 hours
It is important to seek medical help if you believe you are experiencing any symptoms of sepsis.
Harry and Sandra Redknapp have been married for almost 60 years (Image: Getty)
As for Harry, he also provided an update on his health after recently being diagnosed with hearing loss.
The former football manager admitted he frequently forgets to wear his hearing aids, though maintained that everything was fine.
Reflecting on how the diagnosis took him by surprise, he added: “I didn’t even think I had a problem until I went for a hearing test and then they said, ‘Oh you’re way down’, so that’s why I got them really.”
The former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! star has previously described his hearing difficulties as “dangerous”, referencing incidents such as accidentally leaving his indicators on while driving.
Appearing alongside his wife on This Morning earlier this year, he confessed: “It could’ve caused accidents.”