Heartwarming moment Chris Tarrant meets the paramedics who saved his life after a stroke

• Chris Tarrant suffered stroke on flight from Bangkok to London last March
• Collapsed at Heathrow and received emergency treatment from paramedics
• Today the 68-year-old was finally able to thank the team who saved his life

Chris Tarrant has been reunited with the paramedics who treated him after he suffered a stroke while flying at 39,000ft.

The former Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host feared he was going to die after suddenly losing the use of his arms and legs on a flight from Bangkok to London in March last year.

On arrival at Heathrow he collapsed and was given emergency treatment by paramedics before being taken to Charing Cross Hospital, where doctors discovered a clot in his leg that was causing a temporary loss of blood to his brain.

And today the 68-year-old was finally able to thank the 'brilliant' team who saved his life.

Tarrant was returning from Burma, where he had been filming the second series of his Extreme Railways documentaries, and thought he was having an asthma attack brought on by the poor air.

He said he battled the symptoms for 11 traumatic hours but didn't want to tell the cabin crew as he 'just wanted to go home' to his long-term girlfriend, Jane Bird.

In an interview last year, Tarrant said when the plane landed he tried to drag himself to passport control to ask for help but keeled over. 

A couple who had been on the same flight came to his rescue and called an ambulance.

Rapid responder Sam Barton was the first to reach Tarrant, bypassing airport congestion on a bike.

Ambulance crew Nicola Manners and Frank Hill then took him to hospital, where doctors performed an emergency operation to remove a clot before it could dislodge and cause a major stroke.

Tarrant told hosts Phillip Schofield and Amanda Holden: 'They were brilliant. Once I got off the plane I fell over and they were there and I was in the hospital in Charring Cross in 20 minutes. 

'They were superb'.

But he admitted that the severity of his symptoms meant he hadn't had a chance to thank the team at the time. 'I couldn't lift my arm,' he said.

Tarrant was then left speechless as the presenters announced that Mr Barton was in the studio.

As the paramedic walked towards him, Tarrant stood up and said 'God, it's you! How nice to see you' before repeating 'thank you, thank you' as they shook hands.