Imelda May says her pet dog saved newborn daughter from suffocating

Irish singer said she owes her dog Alfie ‘a hell of a lot’

Imelda May performs at Ronnie Scott's 60th Anniversary Gala at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019 (Rex Features)

Irish singer Imelda May has revealed how her pet dog Alfie saved her daughter’s life when she was a newborn.

The Dublin artist said the border collie alerted her when the baby pulled a plastic bag over her face.

In a new interview with PA, May explained that Alfie, who accompanied her on tour, kept whining until she went to find her child unable to breathe.

“He saved my daughter’s life,” she said. “He would not stop, like Lassie, getting me, running back and forward, whimpering until I followed him and I saw the plastic bag over her face.

"I do owe him a hell of a lot.”

Alfie died last month, aged 13. He had joined May on tour when she played at Glastonbury and T In The Park.

“He was in Abbey Road,” she said. “He was the only dog they would allow into the Royal Albert Hall.”

May, whose daughter is now seven, has released an album of her poetry, titled Slip Of The Tongue.