Gogglebox star Shaun Malone has revealed painful-looking scars on his head after undergoing brain surgery. The 31-year-old, who came to fame alongside his family on the Channel 4 show in 2014, shared an update from his hospital bed on Instagram, showing staples on his head.
Heatwave Complicates Recovery
“Heatwave is a terrible time to be stuck in hospital until Friday,” he wrote. “Brain surgery is deffo not the highlight of my year.” Shaun has been open about his health battles, having been diagnosed with a brain condition in 2010 after initially getting sinusitis.
Previous Life-Threatening Infection
Shaun was in and out of hospital as a teenager after contracting a life-threatening infection while battling sinusitis. On the Coaching From The Sofa podcast, he explained that doctors gave him less than 10% chance of surviving.
“In 2010 I got sinusitis and in some way, the infection found its way back to my brain. My brain started swelling and my skull started crushing it so my mum took me to A&E,” he said. “I collapsed at home and ended up going into a coma. They said to my mum and dad that I had a less than 10 per cent chance of living.”
He was in a coma for weeks and woke up with brain damage affecting his memory and left side. “I essentially had a stroke, I couldn't move my left arm, my left leg, even the left side of my face,” he added.
Family Support
Shaun joined Gogglebox in season four alongside his dad Tom, mum Julie, and siblings Tom Jr and Vanessa. The family have remained on the show despite cast changes. Julie previously told the Mirror: “We were absolutely frantic. The doctor said Shaun only had a slim chance of surviving surgery, that there were no beds available.”
Tom added: “I just went doolally saying, 'He's going to be fine'. Thankfully Tom was level-headed and really pushed them.” When a bed was found, Shaun spent six hours in surgery to remove a piece of bone from his skull. He was in a coma for two weeks and had to learn to walk again.
