Former NSW State of Origin star turned media identity Brett Finch has checked in to a mental health facility after suffering a medical incident on board a flight to Sydney.

Finch, who played for over a decade in the NRL with Sydney Roosters, Canberra, Parramatta and Melbourne, was taken from a plane that was flying from the Gold Coast on Sunday and put into an ambulance, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.

A passenger told the newspaper Finch “looked like he couldn’t bring himself to get off the plane. White as a ghost, couldn’t control his runny nose and (appeared) paranoid.

“He wasn’t abusive. He just didn’t want to get off the plane, like he was scared about something.

“The captain came out … they had to call fireys and ambulance to get him off.”

Another source said that the sight of Finch struggling with his breathing was “pretty confronting” and “sad”.

Several sources confirmed the former State of Origin star checked in to a facility to start work on his health.