John is homeward bound

John Whitaker may return to Britain at the end of this week having made amazing progress after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage in Sweden two weeks ago.

Britain’s leading show jumper will be flown by air ambulance to a hospital in Britain to complete his recovery, before recuperating at his Yorkshire home.

Speaking on Sunday, John’s wife, Clare, said: “It’s early days, but there don’t appear to be any after-effects. Although he hasn’t been allowed out bed yet, John has full movement in his limbs and can remember everything apart from the moment he collapsed in our hotel room.

“John’s a little tired, but has started eating properly, so it’s all looking good. The surgeon thinks that being so fit has helped. John’s just upset that he won’t make it to Olympia.”

The surgeons at the hospital in Uppsala are delighted with John’s progress and have given the go-ahead for him to be flown home as soon as a drain is removed from the operation site.

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