Phoenix Nights star Ted Robbins suffers cardiac arrest

British actor Ted Robbins is recovering in hospital after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest whilst on stage performing Phoenix Nights Live in Manchester.

Robbins, 59, collapsed on stage shortly after the interval on the first of 15 planned dates for the show at Manchester Arena.

He is now resting and ‘doing great’ at Manchester Royal Infirmary after a doctor in the packed Arena audience and staff assisted in saving Ted’s life with CPR before the North West Ambulance Service continued treatment and transported him safely to hospital.

Everyone at defibshop wishes Ted a speedy recovery and we are all glad that he is doing well in hospital.

But the highlight of this story comes in the form of an audience member assisting in helping Ted through his cardiac arrest event.

Having more people trained to perform lifesaving CPR and to be able to use a defibrillator would no doubt help save more lives like Ted’s in this situation.

St John Ambulance conducted research and currently in the UK, nearly two thirds of people (59%) wouldn’t feel comfortable in helping save a life; this is where first aid training can make all the difference and will have a drastic influence on survival figures.

Defibrillators are safe to be used by untrained responders, but AED training helps the user gain knowledge of the units whilst boosting confidence in how to help during the rescue process.

defibshop Sales Manager Paula Leech said: “It’s because of the skills and knowledge of first aid of a member of the audience and the Arena staff that Ted is still with us today.’

‘We are all happy to hear that he is doing well and recovering in hospital. But the moral of the story here is that with more members of the public who are first aid trained –the greater the chance of survival for people who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest.’

‘If there is anyone out there who is reading this and is looking to gain a life saving skill, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will point you in the right direction.”

For more information on how you can get AED and CPR training, you can call our friendly defibshop team on 0845 071 0830 or you can fill out a contact form and we’ll get back to you.Learn more about defibrillators