A former Coronation Street star has recalled his ordeal after suffering from a mini stroke. Chris Fountain, who played Tommy Duckworth in the long running show, says the shock medical emergency left him “speaking like a toddler”.
Although just 35 years-old, Chris says he feared for his life had changed forever after doctors discovered he’d had a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) - known as a mini stroke - after a blood clot lodged in his brain. In August, the actor had woken up at home unable to speak properly. He spent five days in a London hospital.
He told Nottinghamshire Live's sister publication, the Mirror, that he was gripped by “sheer panic” as he realised something was wrong. In the exclusive interview he said: "I woke up one morning and knew something wasn’t right. My mum called me and I just couldn’t get my words out. I started walking round my house looking at things and I could think what the word was, like television or fridge, but I couldn’t say it.
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“I called 111 on my mum’s advice and they sent an ambulance for me, it was so scary. I felt stupid because I knew exactly what I wanted to say to the doctors, but I couldn’t get the words out, I was speaking like a toddler, I was really embarrassed.
While at the time Chris says that he thought life as he knew it "was over", he is now working with a speech therapist to retrain his brain and has 90% of his speech back. However, he admits he still struggles to read aloud and often stumbles over his words.
Chris shot to fame in 2003 when he landed the role of Hollyoaks heartthrob Justin Burton in the Channel 4 soap and went on to pick up a string of acting awards. In 2010, the Bradford-born star swapped Chester for Weatherfield and joined the Corrie cobbles as Tommy, the grandson of iconic Street character Jack Duckworth.
Opening up about his stroke, Chris explained: “When the doctors confirmed I’d had a TIA and said the word stroke, I just couldn’t believe it, there was a moment of sheer panic just fearing what it meant for the rest of my life. Would I have another one? Would the next one be even worse and I’d lose the use of my arms or legs? I was really scared and just broke down in tears.”
Chris had been admitted to Homerton University Hospital but was quickly transferred to a specialist stroke unit at The Royal London Hospital in the capital where he spent days undergoing tests. He said: “The doctors said they saw some damage to the left hand side of my brain which is where your cognitive abilities are controlled from.
“What’s scary is if I hadn’t have called 111 when I did and got to hospital so quickly I don’t know if that clot could have travelled to the wrong place in my brain, I could have died. That clot was like a ticking bomb in my head.”
Medics got the clot under control and further tests showed the actor has a hole in his heart which caused the blood clot to travel to his brain and trigger the stroke. He’ll now have to undergo a small surgery to patch up the hole and hopefully prevent any more clots travelling to his brain.
Chris’ showbiz pals, including former Weatherfield co-star Ryan Thomas, have rallied round him during his recovery. But he admits the medical drama has been a wake up call and he’s determined to “live life to the max”.
He said: “It has hit me how grave the situation could have been if I hadn’t have got the help I did, when I did. Going through something like this makes you realise just how fragile life is, it can really be snatched away from you at any moment. I feel like it’s the wake-up call I needed to live my life to the max and just not sweat the small stuff anymore.”
The stroke is not the first set back the actor has had to contend with. Chris's career was derailed in 2013 when he was sacked after being unmasked as a YouTube rapper who had used lyrics that implored violence against women. Chris took responsibility for his actions admitting he was “ashamed and embarrassed” about the language he used but believes he’s still feeling the impact of his actions nearly ten years later
He says surviving a stroke has made him more determined than ever to rebuild his TV career. “Acting is all I have ever known,” he says. “I have worked professionally as an actor since I was 14 and until someone tells me my acting ability is not up to standard I won’t give up on it.
“After everything I’ve been through recently I’m determined not to let people’s opinions of me affect me anymore. I’ve been up for some really big roles recently and I’m getting down to the final stages. I don’t know if I’m not getting the roles because I’m just not right for the part or if the powers that be are worried that what happened will bring them bad press.
“I’ve thought about it non stop for years, but I’m going to stop worrying about what I can’t control any longer. I’m just going to keep pushing forward, go for jobs I love and hope that casting directors will see me for the man I am now, not the one mistake I made a decade ago.”
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