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”.

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