X Factor star Chico Slimani feared he would ‘die alone’ after suffering a stroke

X Factor star Chico Slimani admitted that he feared he would “die alone” after suffering a brutal stroke.

The 47-year-old, who appeared on the singing competition in 2005, told of his fear after he was rushed to hospital.

He told The Sun: “I literally thought it was Chico’s time. My angels were working overtime that day.”

The singer told how he felt his face drop while at the wheel of his car and pulled over at a nearby pub, when he vomited and blacked out.

He explained: “My eyes were going in the back of my head literally — I was in a bad way. I was far from OK.

“There was no sense of Chico. I was having a near-death experience. It was like I’m dying. I thought I was just about to take my last breath.

“I thought, ‘I’m parked in a car, without anyone around me, and I’m going to die alone’.

“The expression when your life flashes in front of you- it was like that. Like I was reaching this near-death experience. Time itself vanishes.”

Silmani added: “I found myself saying in my mind I’m 47, and I really don’t want to go because I don’t feel I’ve accomplished what I came here to do.”

He went to reveal that the doctor told how he had made an incredible recovery.

Silmani explained: “The doctor said ten per cent of people who have a stroke like this would make a full recovery but that normally takes them two, three, four months.

“Then he said about 15 per cent recover but with an impairment like a disability of some sort, they can’t talk, walk, they need 24-hour care.

“And the other 15 per cent die instantly. So I happen to be not the 10 per cent, the one per cent or even the 0.1 per cent.”