Harry Redknapp reveals how he feared for beloved wife Sandra after a serious attack of Covid left her barely able to breathe.
The ex-soccer manager and winner of TV’s I’m A Celeb says Sandra, who needed two operations, could not talk and had to communicate by notes.
And a problem with swallowing had Harry fearing she could choke to death.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Mirror, former Spurs chief Harry, 75, says: “The symptoms weren’t good, if I’m truthful.
“You start to think about all kinds of sinister things. It’s been a real worry.
“Sandra has suffered. Her voice had packed up and she was struggling for breath. Even swallowing food became difficult. She could choke on food easily if we weren’t careful.”
The virus attacked pre-existing problems with Sandra’s vocal cords. Thankfully, she is on the mend – and national treasure Harry is fighting fit too.
The couple talk about the scare in an interview in which Harry also says he:
- Loves Sandra to bits and thinks she is amazing – for putting up with him.
- Feels more relaxed since quitting football and has no intention of managing again.
And Sandra says she:
- Calls clumsy Harry “Mr Pastry” – after a TV character from the old days.
- Fancies a trip to South Africa... a hint that Harry might take part in an all-star version of I’m A Celeb.
The couple are talking at their home in Poole, Dorset – adorned with pictures of family and where Barney the British bulldog keeps them company.
Former hairdresser Sandra reveals she was laid low with Covid in January after a New Year’s Eve visit to a restaurant, where she and Harry posed for selfies with fans.
Sandra tells us: “My vocal cords had got paralysed. I think Covid attacked previous surgery that I’d had on my neck.
“You don’t realise what your vocal cords do until they’re not working, because it affects breathing as well as talking. The shortness of breath was very difficult. My voice would vibrate and was very weak.
“I had lots of tests. I had one lot of surgery in May, which was fine for a while. Then we went on holiday and came back and it went again, so I had to have a second one. I couldn’t talk for three days afterwards so our granddaughter Molly got a notepad and I had to write down messages.
“I was struggling with it for six or seven months. Even now if I’m talking a lot my voice starts to get a bit sore. But, fingers crossed, I’m on the mend.”
The health woes struck as the couple were working on new book When Harry Met Sandra, released this week.
It tells how they met as 17-year-olds at a disco in the Two Puddings pub in Stratford, in London’s East End. It was 1964 and they married four years later.
Harry became famous playing for West Ham and Bournemouth, before successfully managing both clubs.
He also took the reins at Tottenham, Portsmouth, Southampton, QPR and Birmingham – but never landed the England job, despite clamour from fans.
There was tragedy in 1990 when Harry was in a crash while at the World Cup in Italy. He fractured his skull, while Bournemouth FC managing director Brian Tiler died, along with three young locals travelling in another vehicle on the wrong side of the road.
Despite his high profile, Sandra remained largely unknown until Harry won I’m A Celebrity in 2018. Emotional scenes of their reunion touched the hearts of TV fans and made Sandra a household name in her own right. I’m A Celeb will return to Australia this year after a Covid-enforced stint in Wales.
And the all-star spin-off is set to be filmed in South Africa next year.
Sandra teases: “I wouldn’t mind a trip to South Africa! It’d be up to Harry. He knows what to expect now.”
Harry and Sandra have two sons – TV soccer pundit Jamie, 49, and former model Mark, 52 – and a total of 11 grandchildren.
And it is clear the couple adore each other as much as ever. Harry admits: “I couldn’t cope without Sandra. It’d be a nightmare. I don’t want to think about it. Sandra could cope better without me than I could without her. I’m pretty useless. I like everything about Sandra. I’m not a softie. I’m not a gushing bloke.
“We just get on fantastic. She’s a fantastic cook, she looks after me, she treats me unbelievable. You have ups and downs and you get through them.
“We’ve been very lucky. The ups have outweighed any downs, for sure.
“We don’t argue. We have disagreements, like everybody, but I can’t say we have any real fallouts. We never have. We just get on great together.
“There’s nothing she does that annoys me, I’ve gotta be truthful. I swear I’m telling the truth. How she’s put up with me, she’s amazing.”.
Sandra chips in with a laugh: “There are things that annoy me about you. Quite a lot of things!”
She recalls the time Harry soaked her prize flowers while jet-washing their cars. Sandra says: “He took the heads off! I was looking out the window and caught him. He looked at me like, ‘how did you see that?’”
Sandra explains her nickname for Harry – borrowed from the bumbling character created by Richard Hearne, a star from black-and-white TV.
She says: “I call him Mr Pastry because he’s very clumsy at doing things and he always gives himself away. I might not have even noticed, but then he looks at me and I think, ‘What has he done now?’
“I think he’s just wonderful. He makes me laugh, he’s very kind and he has a great personality. We have so many happy memories.” Harry hasn’t managed a football club since a stint at Birmingham in 2017. He says: “I’ve had my time now. I enjoy golf and going racing and I’ve got my horses, that’s my big passion. I’m so much more relaxed since I stopped managing.
“I feel completely different and I sleep better. I know you get well paid and the rewards are fantastic, but when you’re managing a football club the stress levels are scary.
“The highs are fantastic when you win, but get beat and it ain’t going well... it’s a nightmare.
“You couldn’t go in a pub, everyone’s got an opinion – ‘why are you picking him?’ I haven’t been in a pub for 40 years! You get in arguments. It’s a very lonely job. The buck stops with you. Sandra was a massive support.”
Laughter is never far away in the Redknapp household.
Of one of their most recent chuckles, Harry says: “We had a nightmare... we went out and celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary, then realised it was 54 years.
“Someone even brought us a cake with 55 on it.”
Sandra adds: “We had to pretend. We’ll celebrate for real next year.”
When Harry Met Sandra is out Thursday (September 29), £20, published by Mirror Books
