Former Coronation Street and Emmerdale star Chris Fountain has shared an emotional update following a health scare last year.
The Bradford-born actor revealed in October 2022 that he had been admitted to hospital after suffering a mini stroke. The 35-year-old said he was left "speaking like a toddler" after doctors discovered a blood clot had lodged in his brain, causing a transient ischaemic attack (TIA).
After days of tests at a specialist stroke unit at the Royal London Hospital, it was established Chris had a hole in his heart which had caused the blood clot to travel to his brain, triggering the stroke. He spent five days in hospital and has since regained 90 percent of his speech.
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Chris, who is known for his roles as Tommy Duck in Corrie and Damien Jones in Emmerdale, has spent the past months raising awareness of the condition and trained for the London Marathon to raise money for charity. Yesterday, April 23, he completed the gruelling challenge and shared an update from the finish line.
Taking to social media, he wrote: "I DID IT!!!!!!! From having a stroke in August to running a sub 4 hour marathon. I am beyond proud of myself. THANKYOU to everyone who cheered, donated, ran with me and everything else in between. I’m so, so happy. Will never forget this feeling."
His co-stars were quick to show their support with Brooke Vincent, who played Sophie Webster in Corrie, posting a series of heart emojis underneath his post. Richard Fleeshman, who played Craig Harris on the Cobbles, added the raising hand emoji.
Meanwhile, Adam Thomas said: "Wowowowowow" and other fans also sent messages of support. Marco said: "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"
Noicky added: "Well done Chris I'm so proud of you. You've done your Charity proud to. Hugs to you xx." Emma commented: "Congratulations, so proud of you Chris."
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The actor's career first took off in 2003 when he joined Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks as Justin Burton. He later landed roles in Corrie and Emmerdale before being sacked after a video of him rapping about rape and violence emerged on YouTube.
At the time, Chris apologised for his actions, saying he was “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 remains committed to rebuilding his acting career and said he "won't give up on it". Sharing his plans for the future, he said: “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."
He added: "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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