Former Premier League striker and football manager Iain Dowie 'lucky to be alive' after cardiac arrest

Former Premier League striker and head coach Iain Dowie has said he is ‘very, very lucky’ to be alive after suffering a cardiac arrest during a spin class at his local gym.

He says he does not ‘remember too much’ of the events that transpired. Nevertheless, he thanked the people in the gym who ‘looked after’ him and the medical personnel in the ambulance that transported him to hospital. He mentioned that he had to remain in hospital ‘for a good few days’, but said that he has been doing ‘brilliant since and the heart is in good shape’.

Over the course of his playing career, Dowie turned out for outfits such as Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Southampton - he also made 59 appearances on the international stage for Northern Ireland.

As a manager, he coached cubs such as QPR, Oldham Athletic and Charlton Athletic - he returned to Palace as manager in 2003, before leaving the Eagles in 2006. He won the Championship manager of the month award in January 2004.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Dowie said: "I went to a spin class and don't remember too much more. I had a big cardiac arrest, unfortunately. Lots of people looked after me and did some great things in the gym, then the ambulance looked after me and I ended up in hospital for a good few days. I've been brilliant since and the heart is in good shape.

"I've got a little thing, an ICD [implantable cardioverter defibrillator] fitted that I hope will keep me going for another 20 years. It was probably more terrifying for my wife watching. But my view is I'm one of those lads who looks forward and I've been very, very lucky. I was in the right place to have it and perhaps it just wasn't my time."