Craig Charles, the actor and DJ currently appearing on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, has shared a harrowing account of surviving a heart attack that mirrored the fatal condition of his brother. Speaking candidly in the jungle camp, Charles detailed the genetic scare that led to emergency surgery and his ongoing daily medication regimen.
A Terrifying Genetic Warning
Charles explained to his campmates that he takes approximately eight tablets each day due to a serious heart condition. "I've got four stents in my heart," he revealed. "The arteries from my heart were narrow. 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."
The Night of the Emergency
The incident unfolded while his wife, Jackie, was visiting her parents in Galway. Charles recalled feeling unwell with tingling jaws and initially hesitating to call an ambulance. "I didn't, because you don't call the ambulance on your own," he admitted. When Jackie returned the next morning, she immediately recognized the severity and contacted emergency services.
"The woman said, 'We think he's having a heart attack, and stay with me'," Charles recounted. "She asked 'what colour is he?' And she said 'he's brown'. So by now I am having a heart attack and laughing my socks off."
Life-Saving Medical Intervention
Doctors discovered Charles was receiving only 35% blood flow to his heart. They performed an urgent procedure involving a wire and balloon to insert stents, widening his arteries to restore full circulation. "When they put the stents in and it's on 100%. So they saved me," he stated gratefully.
Tragically, his brother Dean experienced the same condition but collapsed while working as a school teacher and did not survive. This genetic connection adds profound personal significance to Charles's health journey.
Campmate Support and Emotional Return
Fellow contestant Scarlett Moffat praised Charles's courage in returning to the show where he received the devastating news about his brother in 2014. "I think Craig is really, really brave coming back somewhere where you found out the most devastating news must be really hard," she said in the Bush Telegraph.
Before entering the jungle for his second attempt, Charles reflected on how his brother's death prompted major life changes. "It made me re-evaluate things," he shared. "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'."
Honoring His Brother's Memory
Charles revealed that after watching his first episode in 2014, Dean had told his wife: 'he is going to win that'. Sadly, Dean never woke up the next day. "Hopefully I will make him proud," Charles expressed emotionally, highlighting the poignant motivation behind his jungle return.
The star's openness about his health scare serves as both a personal testament and a public reminder about genetic heart conditions, while his determination to complete the show honors his late brother's belief in him.
