Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BRAVEHEART
I’m not scared of anything, says Ginola, 5yrs after cardiac arrest
DAVID Ginola roared “I’m a man” when asked if the memory of the cardiac arrest that almost killed him will make him chicken out of challenges on I’m A Celebrity.
The former Spurs and Newcastle footballer collapsed on the pitch during a 2016 charity game in France.
And he has credited fellow player Frederic Mendy, who administered CPR, with saving his life after he “died” for 12 minutes.
But the star, also famous for his glossy shampoo ads, brushed off the idea any fear of a repeat might frighten him off some of the terrifying trials.
Ginola 54, insisted: “I am a man! I am not scared of anything. When I am saying that I am not being pretentious. Obviously there are things that scare you in life. “They are gonna to put you in very complicated situations. But the people working on the show are very professional and everything is done properly. I mean it is something to discover. It is fine for me. And as I said... I am a man. I want to see if the man I am right now is capable of facing those situations.”
Speaking ahead of going in to the castle, the Frenchman added that coming back from his close shave had given him a “second chance” to live life to the full.
He said: “I am absolutely fine right now. Obviously when you have got a second chance in life you want to experiment with different things. I am always talking about getting out of your comfort zone and this is what it is going to be. We are gonna try to win trials to get more food. It is an experience.
I am taking it as an experience and as something to discover, something I will probably never do again in my life so it would be a onceand-for-all, an experience of a lifetime.”
Ginola reckons the key to getting the most out of being on the show is for the contestants to act as if they are football club teammates.
He said: “It is going to be very important to concentrate on the spirit in the camp. It is like having a good spirit in the dressing room and the key to success is are we gonna cope with each other and work one for the other. It is the most important thing.
“To make this experience in a good way – even if we are coming from different worlds and have different characters and different moods and attitudes – we all have to work together for the same goal. That is the priority.”
Earlier this week Ginola revealed that he would try to pitch himself as the camp’s chef as he will need something to take his mind off being away from daughter, Ever, three. He said: “It is very difficult to enter the castle after quarantine because I have spent two weeks away from the family. Obviously, I am missing my little one – she does not really understand why Daddy is not home.”
I’m a man, I want to see if the man I am now can handle these things