A former Coronation Street and Emmerdale star has revealed that he suffered from a mini stroke at aged just 35.
Actor Chris Fountain – who is best known for his roles on soaps Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and Hollyoaks, as well as competing on ITV reality show Dancing On Ice – has given an update on his health in a recent interview, and said he was left “speaking like a toddler” after waking one morning and noticing something “wasn’t right”.
The Bradford-born actor was diagnosed with a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) – which is also known as a mini stroke – back in August, and had to sent five days in hospital in London fearing “life as [he] knew it was over”.
He told The Mirror in a recent interview that he felt “stupid” because he just “couldn’t get [his] words out” to explain to the doctors what the issue was, despite knowing exactly what he wanted to say.
“I woke up one morning and knew something wasn’t right. My mum called me and I just couldn’t get my words out,” Chris explained.
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“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.”
Chris Fountain played Tommy Duckworth on Coronation Street between 2011 and 2013 / Credit: ITV
The 35-year-old said he just “couldn’t believe it” when he received his diagnosis.
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He continued: “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.”
While Chris has confirmed that he has now regained 90% of his speech following the diagnosis, he has revealed that he will now have to work with a speech therapist to relearn how to read out loud and to not stumble over his words.
According to the NHS website, a TIA is caused by a temporary disruption in the blood supply to part of the brain, which can result in a lack of oxygen and can cause symptoms similar to a stroke.
Face drooping, not being able to lift both arms, and slurred speech are all symptoms of a TIA.
The Bradford-born actor said he was left “speaking like a toddler” after suffering a TIA / Credit: Chris Fountain (via Instagram)
“The doctors said they saw some damage to the left hand side of my brain which is where your cognitive abilities are controlled from,” Chris continued.
“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.
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“That clot was like a ticking bomb in my head.”
Featured Image – ITV
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Six teenage boys arrested following stabbing of 13-year-old in Rochdale town centre
Emily Sergeant
Six teenage boys have been arrested following the stabbing of a 13-year-old in Rochdale town centre over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that officers were called out to reports of a ‘serious assault’ near the Riverside Shopping Centre in central Rochdale on Saturday (29 August), and when they arrived on the scene, they found that a 13-year-old boy had been stabbed.
The young boy currently remains in hospital receiving treatment, while a police investigation into the incident is open and ongoing.
Two teenage boys were first arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of a bladed article on the same day the incident occurred (29 August), but have since been released on bail.
Officers then made four further arrests yesterday (31 August), again all teenage boys who were arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of a bladed article, with enquires ongoing.
A Section 60 and 60AA ‘stop and search’ authority was introduced in Rochdale town centre following the recent incidents in area and following reports of youths carrying weapons in the locality, and this has now been extended to 3pm today (Tuesday 1 September).
“This was a serious and sustained attack that could have had far more tragic consequences,” explained Detective Superintendent, Richard Hunt .”Our team of experienced detectives is working around the clock to understand exactly what happened, identify all those involved, and secure the strongest possible evidence.
“We will relentlessly pursue every lead available to us and will leave no stone unturned in bringing all those responsible before the courts.
“Community safety remains our absolute priority, and we are committed to ensuring those who seek to bring violence onto our streets are held fully accountable for their actions.”
Can you help? Anyone who witnessed the incident, was in the town centre at the time, or has any mobile phone, CCTV, or dashcam footage, is urged to come forward and speak to police on 101, quoting log 2750 of 29/08/2026, or using the LiveChat function on the GMP website.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
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High School Musical at Lowry, Salford – a night spent reliving our childhood | Review
Amy Williams
What a night spent reliving our childhood.
Now, I don’t want to exaggerate or seem biased, considering this is one of my favourite film trilogies of all time, but this could be the best stage show I’ve seen in a long while.
We all know how High School Musical goes, right? Set at East High, we follow Troy and Gabriella (the star basketball player, and the geeky new girl) who meet over New Year, and then become ‘star-crossed lovers’ when back at school as they’re part of two different ‘cliques’.
The duo mess with the ‘Status Quo’ when they audition for the school musical. But will they stick to what they know? Or become stars of the stage? I’m sure you know the ending.
High School Musical is currently on stage at Lowry, Salford / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
From the costumes and the characters, to the memorable songs (there’s actually 52 songs in this production, including a mega mix at the end), they’ve kept right to the script of the films – and that’s exactly what we wanted to see.
Of course, the biggest throwback of them all is Kaycee Stroh – who originally featured as Martha Cox in the film trilogy – taking the role as Ms Darbus, and she was just as incredible as we expected her to be. And to see her do the iconic dance in the finale was unbelievable, 13-year-old Amy was screaming.
Also featuring Jason Donovan as Coach Bolton, Tobias Turley as Troy, Leonor Correia as Gabriella, Caitlin Tipping Sharpay, and Luke Bayer as Ryan, it was a proper impressive cast all round.
It’s a night to properly relive your mid-00s childhood / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
There was crowd interaction right from the off, as they taught the crowd a cheerleading routine to be included later in the show, plus for the finale, they had the lyrics on the big screen too so everyone could sing-along.
If we could go and see this show every single night, we would – it is absolutely brilliant.
Emily Sergeant -
10th October 2022 
