Harry Redknapp almost withdrew from ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!’ prior to entering the jungle because his wife was seriously ill.
The 71-year-old soccer coach was crowned the King of the ‘I’m a Celebrity’ jungle on Sunday (09.12.18), but Harry has now admitted he came very close to ending his Australian adventure before it had even begun because his wife Sandra was struck down with the disease sepsis.
He shared: "She’s been ill with the sepsis and it’s knocked her for six.
"It was only five weeks ago. Sandra was in and out of hospital but she wanted to come over to Australia. I was worried about her coming, I didn’t know if it was going to be too much for her."
Sepsis can lead to organ failure and even death if it’s not treated quickly.
And Harry has confessed he came very close to backing out of the ITV show at the last minute due to his wife’s situation.
He told The Sun newspaper: "Sepsis is such a dangerous thing, we were quite lucky.
"The day before I came in, if she said she didn’t feel well or weren’t up for it – I wouldn’t have come, I’d have scrubbed it."
Harry admitted he felt a sense of relief when he was briefly – and surprisingly – reunited with Sandra during his time in the jungle.
At the time, he feared producers were sending him out of the jungle to deal with a medical emergency.
Harry explained: "I thought something had happened, I really did – I thought something wasn’t right and I was going to come out.
"When the girl called me in the Bush Telegraph office, I said, ‘Can I tell the others?’ and she says, ‘No you can’t’. That’s why I got double choked when I saw her."