Jamie, 47, spoke with This Morning hosts Phillip Schofield, 59, and Holly Willoughby, 39, on Thursday as his autobiography – Me and My Family and the Making of a Footballer – hits the shelves. As well as discussing his own rise to fame, the book also touches on some more personal moments from his life, including his relationship with his father and football manager, Harry Redknapp, 73. The Sky Sports pundit opened up on the ITV show about how he and his mother Sandra Harris reacted to the news their loved one had been involved in a car crash which claimed the lives of four people.
How is Boris Johnson handling the coronavirus crisis? Vote in our poll
At the time, Harry and his West Ham teammate Brian Tiler had travelled to Italy to watch the Italia 90 World Cup.
Following one of the games, the pair were travelling back to their accommodation when their vehicle collided with another car.
Unfortunately, Brian – who was driving the car – died at the scene along with three young Italian men, and Harry survived the tragedy.
Jamie was only a teenager at the time and when asked about his father’s heartbreaking ordeal, the former footballer admitted his mother was worried all night her husband hadn’t called her.
“It was one of the most difficult times of my life. He’s not just my dad, he’s my best friend,” the sports pundit said.
READ MORE: Jamie Redknapp snubbed by The One Show’s Alex Jones
The father-of-two explained he was walking his mother back home after she spent the night babysitting for a neighbour.
“She said something’s not right,” Jamie recalled, reassuring Sandra her husband would call in the morning.
However, he said when the call did come, they were informed Harry was alive but had suffered injuries, whilst his best friend Brian had died.
“He was very fortunate to be alive,” the former footballer remarked, explaining his father had suffered from a broken leg and fractured skull.
Harry had spoken about the night in question in his own autobiography ahead of his stint on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! in 2018.
The former football manager said of the moment he realised how close he came to death: “The emergency services at the scene of the crash had apparently thought I was a goner and pulled a blanket over my head.
“The doctors, I’m told, also thought I was dead upon arrival at the hospital.
“But I was lucky. I had fractured my skull, broken several bones, and suffered a horrific gash to my leg, but I don’t think the injuries, though serious, were ever life-threatening, despite those first impressions.”
Taking to Twitter, those watching at home commented on Jamie speaking so candidly about his family’s past on the show.
One viewer wrote: “Jamie Redknapp – comes across as a decent bloke. Pretty good footballer back in the day also. #ThisMorning.”
Another added on the social media platform: “What a lovely family the Redknapps are, Jamie is so nice #ThisMorning.”
Whilst a third commented: “#ThisMorning Walk in and Jamie Redknapp is on tv. Winner,” a fourth posted: “Jamie is such a handsome fella. #thismorning.”
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV.
