Paul O'Grady contracted 'near-fatal' infection handling dogs for ITV series

The presenter was in India filming a special for his popular ITV canine series

TV presenter Paul O'Grady reportedly suffered a "near-fatal" collapse while shooting a new series in India.

The 62-year-old was rushed to hospital in New Delhi for “life-saving treatment” after collapsing due to an infection he contracted while handling wounded dogs for the new run of popular ITV show For the Love of Dogs.

O'Grady told The Mirror: “They had been bitten by rats and there were maggots in them. I must have touched my mouth with my hand and I started vomiting at five in the morning.

He praised the carers who helped him through the illness which saw him told he was "heading for renal failure."

“When I was in hospital I couldn’t face breakfast. The thought was making me feel so sick and a lovely guy said, ‘hang on, I’ll get you some fresh coconut water’, and he presented me with half a coconut and a straw.

“I was like, ‘hang on a minute this is a third world country - I didn’t get this in St Thomas’ in London.’ I couldn’t believe it.”

The beloved presenter's health has recently been a concern for fans having previously suffered three heart attacks.

He added: “I used to think I was invincible, but now I’m running out of lives.”

Reflecting the loss of his celebrity friends, including Cilla Black, he said: “I’ve lost lots of friends lately to cancer - and the AIDS years were like a clean sweep of all my mates.

“You have to accept things and realise you haven’t got 50 years any more like you had as a teenager.”

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