It was an incredible achievement and the pride can clearly be seen on former Coronation Street actor's Chris Fountain's face. So it didn't take long before Corrie co-stars piled in to support the former soap star.
Known for his role as Tommy Duckworth in the long-running ITV show, the 35-year-old has battled his own drama after suffering from a mini stroke in August last year. Doctors discovered he’d had a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) after a blood clot lodged in his brain.
However, while he feared "life as he knew it" was over having spent five days in a London hospital due to the mini stroke, Chris has since dedicated himself to raising awareness of the condition. He trained for the London Marathon in a bid to raise money for the Stroke Association.
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Pictured after the race, Chris shared a picture of himself clutching his marathon medal with all the emotion of the event clearing displayed on his face. In a tearful update as he crossed the finish line after completing the race on Sunday, April 23, he said: "I DID IT!!!!!!! From having a stroke in August to running a sub 4 hour marathon. I am beyond proud of myself."
He continued in the post, which he shared on Instagram: "THANKYOU to everyone who cheered, donated, ran with me and everything else in between. I’m so, so happy. Will never forget this feeling"
Support for the actor and his achievement poured in. Former co-stars took to social media to share their praise and support.
Brooke Vincent, who played Sophie Webster in Corrie, posted a series of heart emojis. Richard Fleeshman, who played Craig Harris on the Cobbles, shared the raising hand emoji.
Adam Thomas said: "Wowowowowow" Other fans also sent messages of support.
Comments included: "So unbelievably proud of you Chris, I can't believe what have achieved in 8 months your story from the finish line brought a tear to my eye so I have doubled my donation x". Another wrote: "Well done Chris I'm so proud of you. You've done your Charity proud to. Hugs to you xx". A third joined in: "Congratulations, so proud of you Chris."
According to a report in Liverpool Echo, Chris shot to fame in 2003 when he landed the role of Justin Burton in Hollyoaks. In 2010, he swapped Chester for Weatherfield when he joined the cast of Corrie as Tommy. His acting career was derailed when he was sacked after being unmasked as a YouTube rapper who had used lyrics that implored violence against women.
Chris has apologised for his actions and said he’s “ashamed and embarrassed” about the language he used during a “moment of madness as a young man”. He said: "I know what I did was wrong, and I’m mortified about it, there is not a day goes by that I don’t regret rapping those lyrics but the situation was not as it was reported and I’m not the person they said I was.
"I think we’ve all done stuff we’re not proud of, we’ve all made mistakes that we hopefully learn from, but it was 10 years ago and for whatever reason, I’m never allowed to forget what I did and move forward.
“It’s so disheartening that any time I try and make a positive step forward or an attempt to move on, it’s like someone’s grabbing me by the neck saying, ‘No, you can’t do that because remember that one mistake you made ten years ago? You’re not allowed’.”
He is now set on rebuilding his TV career. He said: "Acting is all I have ever known. 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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