Stuart Pearce had an emotional reunion on ITV with flight attendant Zoe Anderson, who helped during his health emergency on a Virgin flight earlier this month.
The former England boss embraced Anderson warmly during the surprise meeting on Monday's episode of This Morning, exclaiming: "Great to see you!"
Pearce's wife Carol appeared visibly moved as they thanked the staff member who had assisted during the frightening incident.
Anderson explained her role in the emergency: "We are trained to deal with these situations. We go through quite extensive training so when things like this happen, we're prepared to deal with it."
Stuart Pearce had an emotional reunion on ITV with flight attendant Zoe Anderson, who helped during his health emergency on a Virgin flight earlier this month
ITV
She described how the initial assessment raised "alarm bells" about Pearce's condition.
"We had Stuart hooked up to an ECG monitor. I think we're the only airline in the UK to have that equipment so we were able to send that straight down to the doctor," Anderson added.
The 62-year-old former left-back fell ill on March 2 whilst returning to London from Las Vegas, where he had attended a rugby league match between Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves.
Pearce explained: "We went to Vegas for five days for the rugby. We're Warrington Wolves fans so we went out to watch them play Wigan."
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The Virgin aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Newfoundland after his condition deteriorated mid-flight.
It is believed the plane was at 30,000 feet when the decision was made to divert.
Pearce recalled his initial symptoms: "On the way back at the airport, my chest felt a little bit tight, little bit heavy. Thought it might just be indigestion or something of that nature."
"It felt as though someone was sat on my chest, if you like."
When asked about previous heart issues, Pearce revealed: "Nothing at all (previous medical conditions). History with my family, nothing at all. I don't drink, I don't smoke."
The cabin crew quickly responded to his distress, moving him to a different part of the aircraft.
"They looked after us, moved us forward up the airplane. Hooked me up to a ECG machine. My resting heart rate was 155bpm. I've never experienced anything like that," Pearce said.
Anderson detailed the coordinated response from the crew during the emergency.
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"My colleague Callum did the reading while I was in the cockpit talking to the doctors - so we had all the information to relay back and forth," she explained.
"When we were told they were abnormal, we made the decision that we didn't want to be halfway across the Atlantic."
Pearce has since made a full recovery from the frightening ordeal.
He was even able to return to his commentary duties for England's 2-0 victory over Albania in the weeks following the incident.
Stuart Pearce was emotional as he reunited with Zoe Anderson following his recent health scare on a plane
ITV
During the ITV appearance, Pearce described his experience during the emergency landing.
"I was in and out of consciousness and next thing I know we're landing in Canada. I was trying to sleep it off," he said.
The former footballer also noted the support he received from fellow passengers.
"There was a lot of Rugby League fans on there, so I think they had a little bit of sympathy with me because I was one of them!" Pearce reflected.
