Harry’s nightmare as Covid left wife fighting for breath
Couple reveal 6-month hell
Harry Redknapp has revealed how he feared for beloved wife Sandra after a serious Covid infection left her barely able to breathe.
The ex-football manager and winner of TV’s I’m A Celeb says Sandra, who needed two operations, could not talk and had to communicate by notes.
And a problem with swallowing had Harry fearing she could choke to death.
Former Spurs boss Harry, 75, said: “The symptoms weren’t good, if I’m truthful.
“You start to think about all kinds of sinister things. It’s been a real worry.
“Sandra has suffered. Her voice had packed up and she was struggling for breath. Even swallowing food became difficult. She could choke on food easily if we weren’t careful.”
The virus had attacked pre- existing problems with Sandra’s vocal cords. But she is now on the mend – and Harry is fighting fit too.
Sandra added: “My vocal cords had got paralysed. I think Covid attacked previous surgery y that I’d had on my neck.
“You don’t realise what at your vocal cords do until il they’re not working, because se it affects breathing as well ell as talking. The shortness of breath was very difficult. My voice would vibrate and was very weak.
“I had lots of tests. I had one lot of surgery in May, which was fine for a while. Then we went on holiday and came back and it went again, so I had to have a second one.
“I couldn’t talk for three days afterwards so our granddaughter Molly got a notepad and I had to write down messages.
“I was struggling with it for six or seven months. Even now, if I’m talking a lot, my voice starts to get a bit sore. But, fingers crossed, I’m on the mend.”
The health woes struck as the couple were working on new book When Harry Met Sandra, released this week.
It tells how they met as 17-year- olds at a disco in the Two Puddings pub in Stratford, in London’s East End. It was 1964 and they married four years later. Harry Har played football for West Ham and Bournemouth before managing man both clubs as well as TTottenham, Portsmouth, SSouthampton,ou QPR and Birmingham Birm – but never landed the England job.
He H became a household name nam by being crowned king of tthe celeb jungle in 2018. The Th pair have two sons – TV football fo pundit Jamie, 49, and former fo model Mark, 52 – and eight ei grandchildren.