80s football legend has heart surgery after scary ‘episode’ while watching England

Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness underwent emergency heart surgery two weeks ago after a scary ‘episode’ while watching an England game at home.

Souness, 71, was diagnosed with coronary heart disease at the age of 38 when he underwent a triple heart bypass.

In November 2015 he was rushed to hospital after a heart attack and the football great suffered another health scare earlier this month while watching England play on TV.

Souness says he ‘felt chest pains’ as he went to make a cup of tea at half-time of England’s 2-0 Nations League win over Finland on September 10.

He has since had two stents fitted into one of his coronary arteries and, encouragingly, says he is now feeling ‘great’.

However, the legendary midfielder has had to postpone a swimming and cycling challenge he was planning to undertake to raise money and awareness for people with a debilitating skin condition called epidermolysis bullosa (EB).

Speaking about his recent health scare on BBC Breakfast, Souness said: ‘I had a bit of an episode 10 days ago.

‘I was watching England play Finland, got up at half time to make a cup of tea and felt chest pains. 

‘Without dwelling on it, three days later I had a couple of stents put into one of my coronary arteries. 

‘I feel great. I’ve got a great cardiologist down in Bournemouth, he’s looked after me for 15 years and I’m in great hands.’

Souness has not only become a regular pundit on Sky Sports in recent years but also the vice-president of DEBRA UK, a charity supporting people with EB, also known as butterfly skin.

He has become close friends with 16-year-old Isla Grist, who suffers from the condition, appearing alongside the teenager on several TV channels to raise awareness.

DEBRA raised £5m last year when Souness and a team completed a 12-hour swim across the Channel.

Souness was planning to take on another challenge involving swimming the Channel both ways and cycling from Dover to London but has been forced to postpone due to his recent health scare.

‘We are going to do this challenge next year,’ Souness said. ‘I’m going to get back in the water in January and in May we are going to do the swim and we are going to do the cycle as well.

‘People like Isla, living with EB, face challenges and setbacks daily, yet they keep going. Their physical and mental strength is greater than any opponent I’ve ever encountered on the pitch.

‘We must keep going for them and we will complete this challenge.’

EB causes severe and painful skin blisters and Souness has described it as the ‘cruellest disease out there’.

Former Liverpool and Scotland captain Souness has become a passionate charity campaigner following a career in which he made more than 350 appearances for the Anfield club and earned 54 caps for his country.

Souness, now a respected pundit for Sky Sports, helped Liverpool win league titles in 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983 and 1984 and European titles in 1978, 1983 and 1984.

He is also still celebrated at Rangers, where he won three Scottish Premiership titles as a player and manager.

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