stand by his side

I’m A Celeb’s Emily Atack sobbed at uncle Ted Robbins’ bedside in hospital after he ‘died on stage’ of a massive heart attack

The former Phoenix Nights star fell ill in the middle of a performance in front of a huge crowd and his niece Emily was there waiting for him when he came round

Owen Tonks

Published: 9:48, 28 Nov 2018
Updated: 9:53, 28 Nov 2018

EMILY Atack’s uncle Ted Robbins claims she helped him recover from a heart attack he suffered during an on-stage performance.

The actor, 63, who played the character of Den Perry in the TV show Phoenix Nights, fell ill in front of a huge audience of 25,000 people during a live reunion of the sitcom, written by Peter Kay, in 2015.

Emily was devastated when her uncle Ted fell ill on stageCredit: Rex Features

Late Ted Robbins, uncle of I'm A Celebrity star Emily Atack, as Den Perry in Peter Kay comedy Phoenix Nights

The star was actually deemed “clinically dead” but was rescued by two members in the crowd before he was taken to hospital.

When he regained consciousness on the ward, I’m A Celebrity star Emily, who is the daughter of Ted’s sister Kate, was there waiting and she burst into tears as soon as he opened his eyes.

Ted told the Daily Star: “My heart stopped. I was clinically dead. A paramedic and a doctor in the audience saved my life that night.

“All the family came to see me in hospital. Emily was on the side of the bed and her mother on the other side. Emily had mascara on. And tears were dropping down from her eyes.

She was crying and said: ‘Uncle Ted, I love you.’ I said: ‘I love you too. Why are you crying?’ She said: ‘I don’t know. Every time I see you I’m always laughing. I’m always cheeky to you. I just love you.’”

The ability to perform and entertain runs in comedy actress Emily’s family, with her mother previously being an impressionist on Spitting Image and her father having a number of top 10 hits in the 70s with his group Child.

Emily’s cousin Molly appears on Channel 4’s Extreme Cake Makers and her sister Martha is a showbiz agent.

Emily was relieved when her uncle came round but sobbed at the timeCredit: Rex Features

Plus, Emily’s mother’s cousin is legendary Beatle Sir Paul McCartney.

Ted, who has now recovered from his heart problems, admits he was nervous about Emily going into the jungle.

Ted admits he was nervous about Emily doing I‘m A Celebrity because he did not want her to only be remembered for stripping off in the showerCredit: Rex Features

He said: “When I heard she was going into the Jungle I thought she’d just be seen as this blonde bombshell, having showers in bikinis on national TV, all that stuff. I was mortified.

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