THE Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has revealed he suffered a heart attack while attending a major climate conference in Scotland.
He revealed how he had a minor cardiac arrest while on stage at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021.
In a new book in which he outlines his vision on how to tackle the climate emergency, Khan opened up about his health scare.
He said that while on stage in November 2021, “out of nowhere, I felt a knot in my chest – a kind of tightening”. He said he had to be “carried off the stage” and was “barely conscious” as he was taken to A&E at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
He added: “My shirt was drenched with sweat and I felt like I was on fire. I felt fine. I simply didn’t believe I had had a heart attack. The whole situation felt unreal.
“In a matter of hours, I was due to give perhaps the biggest address of my mayoralty. And yet here I was in Glasgow Royal Infirmary, half of my body in suit trousers and the other in a hospital gown, waiting to be told if I was going to be admitted for urgent treatment.”
In an interview with the Evening Standard, Khan said he is “fine” now but that he takes more care of himself by “looking after my physical health and mental health and eating sensibly”.
He has been the London Mayor since 2016 and is seeking a third term in office when the next election is held in 2024.
When asked if he suffered from PTSD in an interview with The Guardian, Khan said: “Without a doubt. One of my best friends is a doctor and we talk about it. I think the phrase is cumulative.
“By the way, I’m not comparing what I am going through to some of the stuff people go through – as a lawyer my clients with PTSD were asylum seekers and refugees. I would never give equivalence to what I am going through, nor would I ever want people to feel sorry for me.
“I’m very privileged to do the job I do.”
