A BRIDE saved her dad's life at her own wedding when he collapsed and stopped breathing after strutting his stuff to Queen on the dance floor.

Kim Leary, 37, said the best day of her life nearly became the worst after dad John Douglas, 65, went into respiratory arrest at her reception.

The old-age pensioner had heart problems and overexerted himself by bopping along to Bohemian Rhapsody with her other guests.

But it put too much pressure on his heart and moments later he fell to the floor, and Mrs Leary, a nurse, watched in horror as he stopped breathing.

Unable to find a pulse, Mrs Leary - still in her 'massive princess' white gown - administered first aid, giving him lifesaving rescue breaths.

Miraculously it saved his life - and Mrs Leary and new groom Iain, 37, spent their wedding night in A&E at her father's bedside.

It wasn't the way she expected her wedding night to end - but she's just thankful he pulled through.

Mrs Leary, a mum from Chester, said: "Thank God he didn't die. You can't undo your wedding day.

"It would have turned the best day ever into the worst day ever.

"I did joke with dad that I was glad he saved it for midnight and not when I was walking down the aisle.

"He never dances and doesn't really drink. He must have exerted himself that much dancing to Queen.

"He has now said that he wants 'Another One Bites The Dust' played at his funeral."

Mrs Leary and her husband had an afternoon church wedding followed by a reception at Mercure Chester Abbots Well Hotel on July 14, 2017.

One of the last songs the DJ played around midnight was Bohemian Rhapsody, and Mr Douglas hit the dance floor after having a couple of tequilas - both uncharacteristic for him.

He has suffered with heart problems for years - including angina and cardiomyopathy - and had already taken a mouth spray medication and beta blockers that day.

The combination of his medication, drinks and dancing caused his blood pressure to plummet, and put his heart under pressure.

He collapsed after saying goodbye to his daughter.

"When he got up on the dance floor my maid of honour, who knows what he's like, said 'oh my god, your dad is dancing', and she got up and danced with him," said Mrs Leary.

"It came to the end of the night and him and mum were going to get their taxi, after I had given them a hug goodbye.

"He hit the deck right in front of me - like a sack of potatoes. His legs went from under him. I thought he had had a heart attack.

"I noticed his chest had stopped moving.

"I put my cheek to his face to feel for breaths and there was none.

"I think it must have been the shock, but at the time I was in autopilot and just thinking of him like another patient. I didn't cry.

"When I felt he wasn't breathing, I thought he was going to die."

Mrs Leary, a nurse of 20 years, asked staff for a defibrillator and instructed people to call an ambulance.

She gave him 'mouth to mouth' rescue breaths - which thankfully worked and he spluttered awake with a cough.

"The paramedics said he was very very lucky to have survived," she said.

"If he'd been in the taxi, he wouldn't be alive."

He was taken to hospital in an ambulance, and because Mrs Leary was his next of kin, she and new hubby Iain followed close behind.

"I was in this enormous wedding dress, with a 5m long train - a huge big princess dress - wandering through A&E," she said.

"He's always suffered from depression and he's said to me in the past 'if I go, let me go' - meaning not to resuscitate him.

"When he came around properly I said to him 'I'm sorry dad but I wasn't going to let you die on my wedding day.

"He told me 'it's alright love, I understand'."

As soon as he was stable - around 4.30am - the couple returned to the hotel, and were able to get a few days away on honeymoon in St Ives.

Her father spent five days in the Countess of Chester Hospital and now uses a motorised scooter to get around.