The streets aren't safe – especially when George Michael is in his Range Rover with one hand on the wheel and a bifter in the other. However, the willy-waving '80s chart-throb recently crashed his car when stone cold sober – and, according to the man he pranged, the impact was so violent he was surprised that George survived. He's not the only star to have narrowly avoided meeting his maker...
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In September 2001 the world was shocked by a tragic event – Victoria Beckham cancelled a series of appearances, as she was reportedly suffering from a life-threatening "brain bug". It was later revealed that Posh had been diagnosed with viral meningitis – a strain less serious than the bacterial form – and she was back on stage, honking out her solo hit through a megaphone soon afterwards.
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Danger-craving Ben Fogle has undertaken many risky challenges, such as traversing the Atlantic in an oil drum, and walking to the South Pole in flip flops and a mankini. But his life was truly put in danger by a tiny Peruvian sand fly, which gave him a horrific flesh-eating virus named leishmaniasis. Brave Ben only managed to see off the disease thanks to chemotherapy. Ouch.
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Though his Top Gear co-presenters may moan about speed limits, Richard Hammond demonstrated first-hand why we have them when, in 2006, he crashed a supercar travelling at 280mph. The Hamster suffered extensive injuries to his head and his spine, but made a miracle recovery and was back on screen just a matter of months later. Wow.
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However, some brushes with death are not down to freak accidents. Former footballer Paul Gascoigne recently revealed that his heart stopped an astonishing three times while attempting to recover from his alcoholism. The troubled star also admitted that he'd been drinking 30 cans of Special Brew a day before he ended up in rehab.
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Speaking of rehab, Amy Winehouse reportedly came close to death after a heroin and crack cocaine binge that lasted more than three days. Her ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, told The Sun that la Wino had consumed so many narcotics that she had a fit, and that he had to give her mouth-to-mouth. The star was then rushed to hospital, but she's still alive – and still causing havoc.
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It's almost impossible to imagine walking away from a air disaster – but Blink 182 drummer (and ex-of Paris Hilton) Travis Barker did exactly that when his Learjet crashed during take off from an airport in South Carolina. Although he sustained second and third degree burns, Travis was back in the studio just two months later. Four of his fellow passengers, however, weren't so lucky.
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Death may have been a near-miss, but all nine bullets fired at 50 Cent in 2000 were direct hits. The rapper ended up with a series of holes in his hand, arm, hip, both legs, chest and even his face. And, after signing a record deal while still in hospital, he's lived to tell the tale – albeit in a series of plodding, mumbling hits.
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But if there's one thing more terrifying than bullets, it's – erm – dairy cattle. After all, Keira Knightley swerved death at the hands (well, hooves) of a herd of bovine beasts when they took offence to the star taking a short-cut through their field. The actress narrowly avoided a trampling by managing to vault a wall. "Death by cow would be a really bad way to go", she quivered.
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Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan is no stranger to A&E. Not only did he slash his wrists in 1995 and have to have them sewn up again without anaesthetic, but he was rushed to hospital less than a year later following an accidental overdose. More recently, doctors treating him for a noxious case of gastroenteritis discovered a tumour in his bladder too. Thank god for the squits, eh Dave?
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