"Paul Gascoigne: 'I Came Back from the Dead' After Dying on the Operating Table During an 18-Day Coma"

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Incident
3. Recovery and Reflections

PAUL GASCOIGNE has shared that he “returned from the dead” after experiencing cardiac arrest on the operating table during an 18-day medically induced coma.

The football legend, 58, recounted the moment his heart ceased beating at a clinic in Arizona 12 years ago.

Paul Gascoigne says he ‘returned from the dead’ after dying during an 18-day induced comaCredit: Shutterstock Editorial Doctors administered an injection directly to Gazza's heart during his stay at the Arizona clinicCredit: Getty

Gascoigne received an injection directly into his heart from doctors to keep him alive.

The star had opted for cold turkey treatment.

This led to him being placed in an 18-day induced coma before the medical team brought him “back from the dead.”

The incident gave rise to false reports claiming that Gascoigne had actually passed away.

Upon returning to the UK after his time at the clinic, Gazza shocked a passerby who had been misled by the disturbing rumors.

In an interview with the Mirror while promoting his memoir ‘Eight’, the former Newcastle, Tottenham, and Everton star stated: “Reflecting on what happened in Arizona, when I died on the operating table, it was truly frightening.

“The doctors informed me that they managed to revive me. I woke up feeling heavily sedated. Eventually, I was able to call my family and reassure them, saying, ‘It’s alright, I’ve made it, I’m recovering.’

“But I distinctly remember returning to Newcastle and encountering a woman in the street. She stopped and stared at me, nearly fainting.

“She exclaimed, ‘I thought you were dead.’ I replied, ‘Of course I’m not f*****g dead.’ I later learned that people were receiving text messages in stadiums.

“They were claiming that I had died. So, the woman looked as if she had seen a ghost.”

Reflecting on his experience at the Arizona clinic, Gazza added: “Honestly, if I had gone to any other rehab, I believe I would have died.

“I couldn’t recall much of it afterwards. When I relapse, I go cold turkey because I want to endure the pain.

“In Arizona, it frightened me, but I didn’t feel the effects because I was heavily sedated. I stayed for an additional two weeks; I still visit occasionally, even when I’m doing well, just to remind myself of how severe it was.

“They informed me that I had died. I was still unsteady from the medications. I was sedated and in a coma for 18 days, and when I woke up, I didn’t even know what day it was.”