Chris Tarrant had mini-stroke on 11 hour flight

TV star Chris Tarrant, 67, was on his way back from Thailand when he was taken ill.

During the 11 hour flight from Bangkok to London´s Heathrow Tarrant told cabin crew members that he was unwell and would need an ambulance on arrival at Heathrow.

Tarrant´s agent said at first that the star had suffered an asthma attack, but the truth was that the former ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ presenter had suffered a mini-stroke.

Tarrant, who had been filming a Channel 5 travel show in Burma, was rushed from Heathrow to London´s Charing Cross Hospital Emergency department where consultants confirmed that he had experienced a mini-stroke.

Christ Tarrant has been at Charing Cross Hospital for over a week now.

Tarrant´s agent Paul Vaughan told the Mail Online: “He suffered a mini-stroke on the aircraft from which he’s already made a remarkable recovery.

“He’s doing extremely well and due out shortly, possibly on Thursday or Friday. He’s not going straight back to work, though.

“He’s speaking very well, he’s moving, he’s walking and wanting to go out and about. He doesn’t like lying in hospital. It’s all very positive. The doctors wanted to make certain everything was alright.”

The agent added that Charing Cross Hospital was ‘the best place in the world’ to be treated.

Mr Vaughan said that the star will be going back to work but that there’s no timescale in place yet.

He said: “Let’s get him some rest first.”

What is a stroke?

According to the Stroke Association, a stroke is a ‘brain attack’. A stroke occurs when the blood supply is cut off from part of the brain and cells are damaged.

FAST system to recognise a stroke:

1) Facial weakness – can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
2) Arm weakness – Can the person raise both arms?
3) Speech problems – Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
4) Time to call 999