Ozzy: bodyguard saved me

Ozzy Osbourne yesterday thanked his bodyguard for saving his life after he fell off a quad bike.

The former Black Sabbath frontman said he 'died twice' after the heavy vehicle fell on top of him when he hit a pothole on his Buckinghamshire estate last month.

Bodyguard Sam Ruston, 44, gave the 55-year-old singer the kiss of life before carrying him to an ambulance.

'If it wasn't for Sam, I probably wouldn't be here,' said Osbourne.

Wife Sharon said she would have killed herself if her partner of 25 years died. 'I wouldn't want to, or be able to, spend the rest of my years without Ozzy,' she added.

Osbourne suffered broken ribs, a smashed collarbone, punctured lung and broken neck. Surgeons performed an emergency operation to save his left arm.

The wild man of rock was in a coma for 11 days and on a ventilator for more than a week. He will have to wear a neck brace for three months or risk paralysis.

Osbourne does seem to be getting back to his old self - he used the f-word 18 times during a newspaper interview yesterday.