Coronation Street actor Charles Lawson has revealed he will be on medication for the rest of his life after suffering a mini-stroke.
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Charles was taken ill as he performed in a touring production of Rebus: Long Shadows – a stage adaptation of Ian Rankin’s fictional detective series.
The Mirror reports that the scary on-stage episode left Charles confused, and with no idea where he was.
“Not to put too fine point on it, I had a TIA on stage, which you probably know is a mini-stroke,” 69-year-old Charles told the paper.
Charles – who revived his Jim McDonald character on Corrie with a shock story-line involving his believed-to-be-dead-daughter earlier this year, said he first realised something was wrong when he lost his hearing during the second half of the stage performance.
“We opened in Edinburgh playing to a full house and I was halfway through the second half, the climax of the play, and I went deaf,” he told the paper.
“I was aware that John Stahl [who plays gangster Big Ger] was saying his lines but I thought they were from a different play. For two minutes I had no idea where I was, then I woke up in the wings. It was a little disturbing to say the least.”
Charles says he has recovered from the mini-stroke, which happened three weeks ago, and has returned to work.
Despite making a full recovery, and suffering no lasting issues, he says he will now be on medication for the rest of his life as a result of the stroke.
“There was no lasting damage so I’m back on stage and delighted to be saying I’m firing on all cylinders,” he said. “I’ve been given medication which I’ll be on for the rest of my life. But I can assure you I’m in good nick.”
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Charles added that when he thinks about what happened, the reality of the situation hits him – but says mini-strokes are not unusual, and that people can have one without even knowing.
“When I sit and think about it then it’s a shock but apparently they are common. Sometimes people don’t even know they’ve had them,”
“But I definitely knew something was wrong with me – I had absolutely no idea what was going on at all.”
What a frightening experience that must have been! We are very glad you are on the mend, Charles.
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