Chico feared he was going to "die alone" during his stroke.
The 47-year-old former ‘X Factor’ star – who starred on Simon Cowell’s ITV talent show in 2005 – fell ill whilst driving home from a gig last week, due to a blood clot on his brain, and he has described how he thought he’d taken his "last breath" while he was inside the vehicle.
He said: "I literally thought it was Chico’s time.
"My angels were working overtime that day.
"My eyes were going in the back of my head literally – I was in a bad way. I was far from OK.
"There was no sense of Chico. I was having a near-death experience. It was like I’m dying. I thought I was just about to take my last breath.I thought, ‘I’m parked in a car, without anyone around me, and I’m going to die alone.’
"The expression when your life flashes in front of you – it was like that. Like I was reaching this near-death experience. Time itself vanishes."
The ‘It’s Chico Time’ hitmaker’s brush with death made him realise he wants to make sure he has achieved his dreams before he leaves the planet.
He admitted: "I found myself saying in my mind: ‘I’m 47, and I really don’t want to go because I don’t feel I’ve accomplished what I came here to do.
"I have not accomplished my mission. But I said, ‘If I close my eyes now and don’t wake up, I want you to know that I’ve done my best.’ "
Chico’s healthy lifestyle aided his recovery and he is now running Blockfit classes in a bid to increase other people’s chances of surviving strokes and heart attacks.
He told The Sun newspaper: "I’m hoping to take this experience and change lives with it because that’s what it’s about.
"Now I am a living, walking, talking miracle so I can say to you, ‘Look I’ve been there, I’ve seen it, I’ve had a near-death experience, but this is what you can do to prevent it and this is what we’re going to do from now on to inspire a whole new generation to think right, do right, be right and it’s alright.’ "
Chico isn’t allowed to drive for 30 days whilst he recovers and had has been forced to cancel his forthcoming work gigs.
Chico feared dying alone during stroke
