West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady has revealed that she was treated for a brain aneurysm seven years ago.
The 44-year-old, who also acts as an advisor to Lord Sugar in BBC One show The Apprentice, has claimed that her brush with the potentially fatal illness pushed her to be part of the show.
"I would never have done The Apprentice had I not gone through the experience," Brady told Hello! magazine.
"It made me realise that life is short, and fun, and that you should try new things.
"I really believe in life-long learning. The moment you think you know it all is when you don't know anything at all."
Brady played a major part in securing the rights for West Ham to adopt the Olympic Stadium as their home ground from 2016.