Ian Bailey said he is improving after suffering two heart attacks

Ian Bailey has said it is “on the improve” after he was left fighting for his life last week.

Mr Bailey suffered two heart attacks in the space of two days last week, which resulted in his hospitalisation and left him fighting for his life.

In 2019, Mr Bailey was convicted in absentia by a court in Paris of the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in West Cork in 1996.

He has always denied having anything to do with her death.

Mr Bailey was admitted to Bantry General Hospital last week after suffering a heart attack on Sunday, and again on Monday. He was sent to Cork University Hospital (CUH) for tests but is now back at Bantry Hospital where he said he is on the mend.

Speaking to PJ Coogan on Cork’s 96FM on Tuesday morning, Mr Bailey said:

“I think I’m on the improve now.

“A week ago, on Sunday, I had a very strange pain across my chest and it was quite intense.

“What it was was a heart attack. I had one of those on the Sunday and another one on the Monday,” he explained.

“Fortunately I got through to my doctor, explained what was happening and they got me into Bantry Hospital.

“Everybody at Bantry Hospital has been great - the doctors, the nurses, they move very, very quickly.” Mr Bailey said it was “quite amazing” that he had not had heart trouble in the past because “my life is far from ordinary”.

“I’ve been subjected to various challenges and people have always said to me ‘I don’t know how you keep doing this Ian, how you handle this’.

“I’ve never known myself really how I handled it and I guess things are going to take their toll,” he added.

Mr Bailey revealed that his long-term partner recently broke up with him, and he was forced to move out but is now facing eviction from his new accommodation.

When he was asked if he was frightened by his experience over the past week or so, Mr Bailey said:

“When you’ve not experienced something before, there’s obviously an element of fear but the secret is to rise above that.

“As I said, I cannot praise enough the staff, nurses and doctors at Bantry Hospital - they’ve been absolutely superb.” 

Mr Bailey added he is “very sympathetic” to the family of Ms Toscan du Plantier.

“They were assured very early on in the investigation that the Irish police knew who murdered her, and that that person was me,” he said.

“So they bought a false narrative and I can understand their point of view.” 

When asked about the French court conviction hanging over him, Mr Bailey said:

“It’s not a nice thing, nobody would want that.

“My hope and prayer has always been that the truth would come out,” he added.

“My hope and prayer is that, before I’m dead and gone, the truth will come out, and the truth is that I have nothing to do with this terrible crime.”