Alan Brazil survives emergency liver transplant, back on air

Broadcaster and former footballer Alan Brazil has revealed he underwent an emergency liver transplant earlier this year, a procedure during which his heart stopped beating on the operating table. The 66-year-old TalkSPORT breakfast host described himself as "very, very lucky to be here" after the lifesaving surgery at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

Brazil returned to the airwaves on Thursday to update listeners on his health, having been absent from his regular show for several months. He explained that after a period of medical consultations, he made the decision to proceed with a transplant, strongly encouraged by his family. On the day of the operation, he presented his radio show in the morning and received a call from the hospital shortly after finishing at approximately 10 a.m., instructing him to come in immediately.

He took a taxi to Cambridge and was in surgery by 2:30 p.m. that same afternoon. The transplant procedure lasted around eight hours. During the operation, his heart stopped briefly before restarting on its own. Brazil spent a week in intensive care followed by several more weeks recovering on a ward before being discharged.