James Buckley, best known for playing Jay in Channel 4's The Inbetweeners, has revealed that he has been diagnosed with a genetic condition that puts him at high risk of a cardiovascular incident.
The 38-year-old actor shared the news during Monday's episode of his podcast The Buckleys, which he hosts with his wife Clair. He explained that he had wanted to discuss the results of a previous blood test with a doctor while Clair was in hospital for severe dehydration.
High-risk diagnosis
Buckley, who also starred in White Gold, said: "It turns out I do have, it's something to do with my Lipoprotein (a). So go and get it checked out. There's nothing you can do about it, by the way."
Lipoprotein (a) is a type of lipoprotein made by the liver that is genetically inherited and makes the blood stickier. It can increase the chance of having a blood clot, as well as cardiovascular disease, such as a heart attack or stroke.
Lifestyle changes
Clair explained that he had been told to change his diet and exercise, with James joking: "Can't I just have some medicine or something?"
He continued: "I've got this thing, I'm at a high risk now for a cardiovascular incident. My heart, my arteries. Not my fault."
"Yeah, but stop clogging them with KFC," replied Clair, with James saying: "Well, I haven't been. I've turned it around. I've been drinking water and things."
Clair said that the pair hadn't had "a touch of alcohol" over the last two weeks, and "hardly any takeaways".
Reset and reflection
James added: "I'm not a religious man, but sometimes I feel like there is a god that goes, 'That'll teach you.' Because I feel like I've been on this podcast slagging people off that 'don't drink' for being boring and stuff. And now I've been told to try not drinking."
The actor clarified that he would have a beer "soon", but had been "trying to do a little reset".
The comment comes amid recent reports that all four stars of The Inbetweeners – Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, Buckley and Blake Harrison – have signed on for a comeback film on Netflix. It follows production company Banijay's announcement last autumn of a new deal with creators Iain Morris and Damon Beesley for the rights to bring back The Inbetweeners, which ran from 2008 to 2010 and spawned two spin-off films, for a new audience.
