AFL great James Hird has been taken to hospital after falling ill during a live broadcast of Footy Classified.

The Essendon legend was appearing as a panellist on the show on Tuesday night when he became distressed by “a piece of dinner stuck in his throat”.

Viewers could hear Hird coughing during the opening stages of the show before he left the studio during the first ad break to vomit.

Despite the scare, the former Bombers captain pushed through and completed the remainder of the program before later heading to hospital.

“He’s a warrior, that guy,” one insider told the Herald Sun.

Another described it as a “super professional performance”.

Footy Classified host Eddie McGuire told the Herald Sun that Hird was professional in finishing the show.

“James did the show and went to emergency,” McGuire said.

“They gave him general anaesthetic, put a tube down his throat and found a piece of lamb that was apparently blocking his esophagus.

“It was like he was drowning because the saliva couldn’t get through.”

It is understood Hird is recovering after the frightening on-air incident.