Craig Charles, known for his roles in Coronation Street and as a DJ, has opened up about his ongoing health battle after suffering a heart attack similar to the one that killed his brother. The 58-year-old, who returned to I'm A Celebrity... South Africa for a second time, revealed he takes eight tablets daily and has four stents in his heart.
Speaking in camp, Charles explained that his arteries were narrow, a genetic condition that also affected his late brother Dean, who died of a heart attack in 2014 while Charles was on the show. 'It's the same thing that killed my brother when I was here last time. They told me this is genetic, you need to go get that looked at,' he said.
Charles recounted the moment he realised something was wrong. He felt unwell at home, with tingling in his jaws, and his wife Jackie insisted he call an ambulance. Despite initially hesitating, he was taken to hospital where doctors found he was receiving only 35% blood flow to his heart. After inserting stents, his blood flow returned to 100%.
His brother, a teacher, had the same condition but passed out and died. Charles said he hopes to make his brother proud this time around, after leaving the show early in 2014 following Dean's death. 'It made me re-evaluate things. I just thought if that had happened to me, would I be happy with what I'd achieved? I came up with the answer and it was 'no',' he added.
Fellow campmate Scarlett Moffat praised Charles for his bravery in returning to the show where he received devastating news. Charles said he wanted to put the 'what ifs' to bed and enjoy new adventures.
