Ex Coronation Street actor Ken Morley has opened up about a string of health scares that saw him cheat death three times.
A bad case of flu picked up during his run in the panto landed Ken in hospital last month – but the 76-year-old says its not the only serious illness he’s had to endure.
Speaking to Daily Star Sunday, Ken revealed he has previously suffered from a burst appendix, prostate cancer, angina – and has even had a quadruple heart bypass.
But he is sure it was the flu that brought him closest to death’s door.
Read more: Soap stars: How much do Coronation Street actors earn?
He told the paper: “I can honestly say I’ve never felt as close to the final curtain as when I collapsed after being helped off stage at the panto in York.”
Describing the incident, Ken said he had the sniffles and a cough for a couple of weeks during rehearsals, and then a “vicious” nose bleed right before the show got underway.
But it was during the opening of the second show that his condition worsened, as he felt dizzy and struggled to remember his lines.
He valiantly saw out the first act but eventually had to be helped off stage, where it is believed he collapsed.
Read more: Coronation Street stars reportedly face pay cuts or they could be axed
Ken continued: “I was taken to ambulance to the hospital in York, where I was literally in a daze for three days.
“Open heart surgery, the cancer scare, everything else in the past 75 years was nothing as bad as that bout of flu – I am sure if it got a grip it could kill people. It was that bad.”
Ken, best known for playing Corrie supermarket boss Reg Holdsworth, is now recovering at his home in Chorley, Lancashire.
He is also getting ready to release a new autobiography called From Here To Infirmity which offers new insight into his life since he left the soap in 1995.
Ken appeared in Celebrity Big Brother in 2015 but was kicked out of the house for making offensive remarks. He also had £100,000 stripped from his fee.
One of his comments included the use of what he later admitted was an “outdated expression” while talking about former boxer Frank Bruno.
He also shocked viewers when he admitted going into the bathroom because “it’s a great place to look at women’s [bleep]”.
Will you be picking up Ken’s new autobiography? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.