A former Coronation Street star is set to undergo heart surgery after suffering a stroke at the age of 35. Chris Fountain, who played Tommy Duckworth on the soap is to undergo surgery today in order to treat the condition.
Chris feared that “life as he knew it” was over after discovering a blood clot had lodged in his brain and he’d suffered a Transient Ischaemic Attack. This led to the mini-stroke which he suffered last year.
Chris Fountain reveals hospital visit following stroke
He recovered from the initial attack over a period of five days in a London hospital. However, Chris revealed today that he is to undergo surgery to treat the underlying condition.
In a series of stories posted to his Instagram account, Chris revealed the details of his hospital visit. “So the day’s arrived,” he said, “just walking to hospital. Got the mother here for moral support. Here we go.”
Chris reveals details of his operation
The former Corrie star went on to reveal the details of the procedure. “What they do is go in through the groin, go up to my heart and put this thing through where the hole is and it leaves a metal umbrella and they pull it through. It leaves another little metal umbrella at the other side.”
He continued: “Then my heart grows around it and hopefully, that should mean no more strokes and I’ll have a little bionic heart.”
“It’s a little bit nerve-wracking as it’s a heart procedure but apparently it’s 99% successful. I’ll have to take it easy for a week or so after it’s done. So yeah, we do a marathon and then we go to do a heart operation, as you do.”
Who was Tommy Duckworth on Coronation Street?
The son of soap ne’er do well Terry Duckworth, Tommy was also the grandson of Corrie legends Jack and Vera. Originally played as a youth by Joseph Aston, the role was recast and played by Chris Fountain from 2011-2013.
He returned to Weatherfield in 2011 following a period of absence, unaware of Jack’s recent death. He quickly became good friends with Tyrone Dobbs and Jason Grimshaw, finding a job at the garage and a place to live on the Street.
During this time, he clashed with his father and became romantically entangled with Tina McIntyre. Tommy left Weatherfield after learning that Tina had moved in with her ex, David Platt. With Chris being written out of the soap amidst a storm of controversy, Tommy Duckworth has not been seen or heard from since.
Read more: Complete Coronation Street cast list 2023 – meet them all here!
Coronation Street usually airs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV.
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