A STUNTMAN has undergone life-changing surgery to “greatly improve” his health thanks to funding from generous donors including actors Sam Heughan and Russell Crowe.
A fundraiser was launched in November 2024 for stunt coordinator Charlie Allan, 61, from the Scottish Borders after he injured his leg while building an access platform to his gym.
Allan who teaches and performs combat in film and television, having worked with Crowe on Gladiator, developed a blood clot in an artery in his leg following the incident.
After various NHS treatment options were unavailable to Allan, his family started a fundraiser for an endovascular thrombectomy as a previous injury prevented the stuntman from having a vein grafted from his right leg.
The GoFundMe fundraiser quickly reached its £25,000 target, including a £5000 donation from Crowe and £2000 from Outlander star Heughan (below).
Allan underwent a three-hour operation to remove the blood clot from his left leg on December 10.
An update posted on the GoFundMe page by two friends of Allan stated that the operating doctor claimed the surgery was one of the most difficult cases in his 40-year career.
“Thanks to generous and timely donations for Charlie's critical medical procedure, he now has a greatly improved chance to enjoy better health and quality of life than he could have before the surgery,” the post read.
“After three hours in the operating room, the enormous blood clot in his left leg was completely removed. The doctor said that out of his 40-year career, this was one of his most difficult cases.
“He told Charlie that he had such a difficult time removing the blood clot that he almost gave up at one point. He also said that Charlie was very fortunate that he came in when he did because his left foot was dying. A few days' delay would have resulted in a completely different story. Because of the rapid generosity, Charlie now has an excellent chance for a full recovery.”
Allan previously told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme about how he got injured after he stepped off the building platform and his leg gave out, resulting in him losing blood circulation.
“I got some really crazy awful crunches, the type you don't want to hear when you fall," he said. “I pushed through and less than a week later I got some severe pain in my leg so I went to A&E.
“One thing led to another, and I ended up in Hairmyres up in East Kilbride and discovered I had clotting behind the knee - so its shut off the circulation in my lower leg.”
Allan asked his long-term friend and colleague Crowe (below) to share the fundraiser when it was first launched and joked that the Gladiator star went “against” his wishes when he donated as well.
He told the PA news agency: “Yeah it was a big surprise because I asked him not to [donate].
“He’s been kind to me in so many ways. I never ask Russell for anything.
“I get inundated with people throwing scripts at me wanting me to ask Russell to read the script – which I don’t do – and I guess that’s why we are friends, because I respect his privacy and I respect him as a friend.
“I’ve never pressured him for anything, so against my wishes he donated anyway but he also did what I asked him to do and put it out there on his X account.
“I’m very humbled, it means everything to me. The level of support and love has just been quite overwhelming to be honest.”
Crowe first shared the fundraiser on X/Twitter with the message: “If you ever saw the first Gladiator, the barbarian leader who tosses the severed head of a Roman emissary back towards the Roman line in a display of defiance, is Charlie Allan.
“We also worked together on Robin Hood. He is a great bloke and a good friend.” Allan added he had to be “talked into” the fundraiser initially, which has now helped him get the surgery he needed.
Once Allan has recovered, he said he is most looking forward to going back to work and playing with his son.
“I can’t walk far without pain and I certainly can’t run, and then it’s had a compounding effect on my legs because you get weak after you haven’t moved for so many weeks,” he said.
“Randy talked me into (the fundraiser), and between him and my wife they kicked it off and started getting things rolling. Thankfully it came together because the only other alternative was credit card or loan.
“First thing I want to do is run around with my little boy. He’s 16 months now and it’s quite hard to keep up with him.
“I’m just looking to get back to acting because I’ve got a lot of promise on the horizon, so I just want to get back to work again.”
