Ex-Coronation Street and Hollyoaks star Chris Fountain reveals he suffered a mini stroke

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Chris Fountain played Justin Burton in Hollyoaks from 2004 to 2009, and Tommy Duckworth in Coronation Street from 2011 to 2013

Chris Fountain, best known for his roles on Hollyoaks and Coronation Street, has revealed he suffered a mini-stroke earlier this year.

Doctors told the actor he had suffered a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) - known as a mini stroke - after a blood clot lodged in his brain.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Taking to Instagram, Fountain said: “This is a video I never thought I’d be doing. I woke up and I was on the phone to my mum and I couldn’t quite get my words out.

Getty Images

“I just thought I was tired and I said to my mum, I’ll just call you back. I was thinking of words but I just couldn’t say them and thought this is weird.

“Then I started walking around my house just like naming objects.There was a towel on a door frame, and in my head I thought, that’s a towel, but to try and say it, I couldn’t say towel, which is quite an easy word to say.

“Then, I stood in front of the TV and again in my head I was like ‘that’s a television’ and then I was trying to speak out loud.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I just thought I was tired so I had a coffee and then I went and had a cold shower and still didn’t get any better. After speaking to my mum she said to ring 111.”

Chris then explains that he tried to read the back of a book, stating that as an actor, reading with expression is something he’s done for years. He compared his situation with the book like Dumb and Dumber, and said he was getting quite terrified at this point.

Fountain said he became emotional and cried when doctors informed him what had happened.

"What’s scary is if I hadn’t 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”.

Aside from acting, Fountain is now a DJ and also appeared on Dancing on Ice in 2008.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1855
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice