Former Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas has sent his support to Chris Fountain after his close pal was left “speaking like a toddler” following a mini stroke.
Actor Chris, Weatherfield’s Tommy Duckworth, spent five days in hospital after waking up at home and discovering his was unable to talk properly.
The 35-year-old, who also starred in Emmerdale and Hollyoaks, told of terrifying ordeal, which changed his world nearly two months ago.
He was left fearing “life as I knew it was over” after doctors diagnosed him as suffering a Transient Ischaemic Attack after a blood clot lodged in his brain.
The news shook his friends and family, and his former Corrie co-star Ryan has been keeping in touch.
He put up an Instagram story with a grab of a message he sent to his buddy.
Ryan, who played Jason Grimshaw on the ITV soap, told him: "I love you so much bro I'll always be by your side good and the bad we're in it together."
He encouraged his followers to #TellAMate - an online movement to show support for your friends.
Chris is now having to work with a speech therapist to retrain his brain and while he’s got 90% of his speech back he admits he still struggles to read aloud and often stumbles over his words.
Speaking for the first time since his mini stroke later this summer, Chris says he was gripped by “sheer panic” as he realised something was wrong.
He said his health battle has been a wake up call and he’s determined to “live life to the max”.
“I woke up one morning and knew something wasn’t right,” he said in a candid post “My mum called me and I just couldn’t get my words out.
“I started walking round my house looking at things and I could think what the word was, like television or fridge, but I couldn’t say it.
“I called 111 on my mum’s advice and they sent an ambulance for me, it was so scary.
“I felt stupid because I knew exactly what I wanted to say to the doctors, but I couldn’t get the words out, I was speaking like a toddler, I was really embarrassed.
“When the doctors confirmed I’d had a TIA and said the word stroke, I just couldn’t believe it, there was a moment of sheer panic just fearing what it meant for the rest of my life.
“Would I have another one? Would the next one be even worse and I’d lose the use of my arms or legs? I was really scared and just broke down in tears.”
The Bradford-born star added: “The doctors said they saw some damage to the lefthand side of my brain which is where your cognitive abilities are controlled from.
“What’s scary is if I hadn’t have called 111 when I did and got to hospital so quickly I don’t know if that clot could have travelled to the wrong place in my brain, I could have died.
“That clot was like a ticking bomb in my head.”
Medics got the clot under control and further tests showed the actor has a hole in his heart which caused the blood clot to travel to his brain and trigger the stroke.
He’ll now have to undergo a small surgery to patch up the hole and hopefully prevent any more clots travelling to his brain.
