The husband of a Loose Women star has been left partially blind after suffering a devastating stroke. Gloria Hunniford ’s husband Stephen Wray was taken to hospital after he woke up with blood in his eye.
Mr Wray, aged 78, revealed his health issue when he accompanied wife Gloria, 83, to the Chelsea Flower Show. It was just four weeks earlier he suffered it - and said he had to go to A&E for urgent treatment.
The Mirror reported he said: “I woke up in the morning and there was blood in the eye and that was it. I can see a little but not that good.” He said the vision in that eye was not expected to return.
Explaining the blood vessel injury, he added: “It is from the heart to the eye, and then from the eye to the brain, so it is damaged. It is the first time I have had something like this with the eye.
“I had to go to hospital – then Northfield [Hospital, West London] and then neurology but thankfully it was not a long wait at A&E. I just went straight through. I am coping OK with it all. It’s fine but just disorientating.”
His first stroke hit him in 2012 as he was gardening. Gloria has previously said that he managed to come inside the house then: “He said something about the garden to me, he told me there was something the matter with his left arm and said it was like cotton wool and he had no control over it.”
Stephen was rushed to hospital where he was treated with thrombolysis to break down blood clots. Gloria added of that day: “When I went in and saw him it was such a shock, it was my first experience of seeing stroke. I was so deeply affected by that.
“He didn’t seem able to speak properly, wasn’t able to move properly but nevertheless his fighting spirit was there.” Stephen also suffered a heart attack in 2004.
Gloria has since praised the NHS saying: “I even wrote to the administrator of Pembury hospital [in Kent] to say a big thank you.”
The couple wed in Kent in 1998, and have five children from previous marriages.
Symptoms of strokes according to the NHS
First advice is: If you suspect you or someone else is having a stroke, phone 999 immediately and ask for an ambulance.
The main stroke symptoms can be remembered with the word FAST:
- Face – the face may have dropped on 1 side, the person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eye may have drooped.
- Arms – the person may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in 1 arm.
- Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake; they may also have problems understanding what you’re saying to them.
- Time – it’s time to dial 999 immediately if you notice any of these signs or symptoms.
Other possible symptoms
Symptoms in the FAST test identify most strokes, but occasionally a stroke can cause different symptoms.
- Other signs and symptoms may include:
- complete paralysis of 1 side of the body
- sudden loss or blurring of vision
- being or feeling sick
- dizziness
- confusion
- difficulty understanding what others are saying
- problems with balance and co-ordination
- difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
- a sudden and very severe headache resulting in a blinding pain unlike anything experienced before
- loss of consciousness
