Ex-Coronation Street and Hollyoaks star Chris Fountain suffers mini stroke at 35
Former Coronation Street actor Chris Fountain has revealed he has suffered a mini stroke at the age of 35.
The soap star, who played Weatherfield’s Tommy Duckworth on the cobbles, said he spent five days in hospital after waking up at home unable to speak properly in August.
After a CT scan, his doctors discovered he had suffered a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) - known as a mini stroke - after a blood clot lodged in his brain.
Chris shared the "terrifying" news on his Instagram and has already been flooded with messages of support.
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."
Chris continued to say that he walked around his house trying to name objects, like fridge and television, but he could not.
That was when the actor called 111 and, after struggling to tell the operator what was wrong, was sent an ambulance. "It was so scary", he said.
The 35-year-old said he had broken down in tears when doctors informed him he had had a TIA.
"I was in complete shock, inundated with questions", he said. "Why had this happened? What does this mean going forward? Will this happen again?"
After several days of tests at the Royal London Hospital, medics determined Chris had a hole in his heart which caused a the blood clot to travel to his brain, triggering the stroke.
"It was a terrifying experience", Chris said, "but could have been a lot worse."
Chris has received countless messages of support, including from friend and Corrie star Ryan Thompson who said: "I love you so much, bro. I'll always be by your side".
"The response has been overwhelming", said Chris, who is now focusing on his recovery.
"I’ve been out of hospital for about two months and I’m happy to say that recovery of my speech and reading is improving daily, I’m not at 100% just yet but I’m hopeful over time I’ll get there."
More information on TIAs can be found on the Stroke Association website.
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