Kerry's Darragh Roche has praised his long-time love and fiancée Tegan after she saved his life when he suffered a heart attack at home.
The county championship winner and former senior Kerry panellist was at home in January when he began to get sharp pains in his chest.
The 29-year-old didn't want to make a fuss, but Tegan took a stand and insisted they call an ambulance.
Chatting to the Irish Independent, Darragh described what happened. 'I just got a sudden chest pain, tightening of my chest, and vicious pain down my left arm. It went on for 20 or 25 minutes before Tegan eventually said that she was not looking at me anymore, and she rang the ambulance,' he said.
Thanking his wife-to-be, he said: 'I don't want to swell her [Tegan's] head too much, but I didn't want to be calling the ambulance, and I didn't want to be making a scene in the estate we live in...
'In fairness, she was stubborn enough to say "no, that if it was me in your situation, you would have the ambulance called for me." Yeah, 100 per cent, she definitely saved my life, by calling the ambulance.'
The dad-of-one highlighted how the experience made him want to spend more time with the ones he loves and that his entire family has been 'unbelievably supportive' as he recovers.
Darragh and Tegan are due to marry in Portugal this September, and while he may be back on the pitch only nine weeks after his scary ordeal, he knows that life and those around you should not be taken for granted.
