PHOENIX Nights star Ted Robbins will star at a ball to celebrate the Wythenshawe Hospital unit that saved his life after he suffered a heart attack while performing the hit comedy live on stage.

The comedian will bring the laughs to Emirates Old Trafford, Lancashire County Cricket Club to celebrate the world-class Cardiothoracic Critical Care Unit where he was treated at University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust (UHSM) in Wythenshawe.

The unit is one of the biggest cardiothoracic departments in the country and one of only two centres to provide heart and lung surgery, heart and lung transplants and ground-breaking respiratory ECMO (extra corporeal membrane oxygenation) services under one roof.

Ted, 60, was performing at the opening night of Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights at the Manchester Evening News Arena in January when he collapsed. He had suffered a heart attack and was rushed to UHSM. Staff at the Cardiothoracic Critical Care Unit at UHSM battled to save Ted’s life. The comedian also had 12 broken ribs and a cracked sternum. He also spent time on the Coronary Care Unit.

Ted, who has been spotted filming scenes for his ghost-hunting character Brendan in Coronation Street, is gearing up for the celebratory event on Friday 2nd October 2015.

He said: “Wythenshawe is a hospital that’s close to my heart, both literally and metaphorically!

“The team on the cardiothoracic unit is absolutely fantastic and everyone I came into contact with during my stay at the hospital and my subsequent visits, has been brilliant.”

Ted returned to UHSM’s Wythenshawe Hospital in August to say an emotional thank you to the nurses and doctors who helped him and is hosting the ball as part of his ongoing support for the hospital.

“The ball is a great opportunity to get everyone together in one room and take some time to put the spotlight back on this amazing team and celebrate the work they do as a whole. This is a unit which has inspired countless other patients, and they will also be sharing their stories about how the team at Wythenshawe has touched their lives.

“We’re looking forward to having a great night, I’d encourage anyone who wants to get involved and support this brilliant unit to book a ticket or a table and come and enjoy a brilliant time,” Ted added.

The Royle Family star Caroline Aherne will also be a special guest at the night which includes a drinks reception, three course dinner, dancing and entertainment.

Dr Julian Barker, Consultant Anaesthetist, and Director of ECMO and the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit at UHSM who is organising the event, said: “The team on the unit does an amazing job.

“We’re lucky to have such talented, hard-working, committed people working in our unit. This is a unit which deals with very serious cases; people usually come to us when they’re in real trouble.”

Funds raised on the night will go towards the further development of the unit’s ground-breaking ECMO service. This treatment offers a lifeline to patients with extremely serious heart or lung conditions who are so ill that other Intensive Care Units are no longer able to treat them.