Footy great left slurring his words after suffering two ‘mini strokes’

Geelong great and former Footy Show controversy magnet Sam Newman was left slurring his words after suffering a mini-stroke.

Newman, 80, spent 10 days in The Alfred hospital in Melbourne after experiencing a transient ischemic attack (TIA) last month.

The Geelong team of the century member was out with his partner, former aerobics champion Sue Stanley, in Bay Street, Port Melbourne, when they had to call an ambulance.

“A little fleck of blood went into my brain, and I lost speech temporarily, and I lost strength in both my arms, but that was very short-lived, five minutes,” Newman said in a video uploaded to YouTube on Sunday night.

“I have had a stroke, I have had two little strokes.”

A TIA is a brief episode of neurological dysfunction after an interruption to the blood supply and is often referred to as a mini stroke.

Newman admitted that without the quick actions of Stanley and medical staff, he “might not be here”.

But in typical fashion, the TV personality filmed the whole experience – keeping his sense of humour as he joked about drawing a crowd with the ambulance’s arrival and documenting his series of medical tests.

Newman underwent surgery to widen the carotid artery on the left side of his neck, which had thickened.

He was released from the hospital on Sunday and continues to recover at home.

He thanked the staff and medical team at The Alfred for their care and “great work”.

Newman played 300 games for Geelong before a notable media career as one of the original co-hosts of The Footy Show alongside Eddie McGuire.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.