Bizarre: Brian Blessed (pictured today at the BBC) said he delivered a baby in a park before biting through the umbilical cord and licking her face

Actor Brian Blessed revealed today how he delivered a baby girl in a park before biting through the umbilical cord and licking her face.

The 78-year-old said he was in the TV police drama Z-Cars at the time of the bizarre incident in 1963 at Richmond Park.

Flash Gordon star Blessed was in his late 20s and had been running in the south-west London park when he spotted the woman with ‘her legs open’ giving birth under a tree.

He told BBC Radio 4: 'I rushed across to her, she was having the baby and had got her legs open. She knew me in Z-Cars [and she said] 'please Mr Blessed, I'm having a baby.

'[I said] "it's alright dear, breathe deeply" and gradually I got the baby out... Yes, I delivered it in Richmond Park and the afterbirth came out, and the clots, I got rid of the clots.

'Then I got the afterbirth out, then I bit it loose then I tied it into a knot, and then I just called for help and eventually an ambulance came.

'I was covered in blood, my shirt was covered in blood, I was wrapping her, wiping her, "it's alright darling". And I was licking the baby's face.’

Coal miner’s son Blessed said he knew how to deal with the birth having been brought up in a working class environment and seeing his mother deliver children in his youth.

Speaking to presenter Libby Purves during the Midweek show, he insisted the story was 'absolutely true’ but he had ‘never’ spoken of it before.

Chat: Blessed talked to Paul O'Grady outside BBC Western House in central London after bumping into him

Long career: Blessed (right) said he was in the TV police drama Z-Cars at the time of the bizarre incident

And Miss Purves responded by saying: 'If this extraordinary story is true, I have to say I can think of few less restful things than having Brian Blessed attend my birth in a park.'

While being interviewed alongside midwife Mark Harris; artist Alinah Azadeh and environmentalist Satish Kumar on the show, Blessed gave another odd story of how he remembered his own birth.

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He said: ‘It sounds ridiculous but I remember being born. I was in ice and boulders and burst through it, felt this tremendous pressure and then suddenly found myself being born and immediately saw my mother and father.’

The actor's name was trending on Twitter following the interview this morning, with many fans concerned at first that this meant he had died.

Running: Blessed said he had been at Richmond Park in south-west London when he spotted the woman

Among them was Tom Molloy, who tweeted: 'Saw Brian Blessed trending and thought he was dead, but then realised that he couldn't be dead because he's Brian Blessed.'

I was covered in blood, my shirt was covered in blood, I was wrapping her, wiping her, 'it's alright darling' Brian Blessed

Meanwhile Jayne Crumple said: 'Just came to look at Twitter and read about Brian Blessed and now I don't want my lunch.' And Jane Wright added: 'All babies should be delivered by Brian Blessed from now on.'

Blessed left school at 15 and worked as an undertaker's assistant before training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He has since played various roles on stage, TV and in film.

His credits include I, Claudius, the Blackadder series and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - while he is also a record-breaking explorer and mountaineer. His new autobiography Absolute Pandemonium is released tomorrow.

When asked about the Richmond Park story by the London Evening Standard, his spokesman responded by saying: 'I can only imagine if that's what he said then that's what happened.'