A soap opera star is still recovering after she suffered a stroke just a few months ago.
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Cheryl Fergison, best known for her role as Heather Trott in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, recently opened up to The Mirror about the situation, noting that the stroke left her “world rocked.”
“I would say it was probably one of the lowest times of my life,” the soap opera star said about the stroke. “One of the hardest things is to process what it does to you. One minute you’re walking, talking, going to the shops; the next, your world is rocked. It’s shocking.”
Recalling all the events that led to the stroke, which occurred in May, Fergison said she was at home watching TV when everything happened. “I started to feel funny,” she said. “With a really bad headache at the back of my head. I went to bed but couldn’t settle. When I got up in the night to go to the bathroom, my balance completely went, and I had to stop myself from falling over.”
She said her whole right side felt numb, heavy, and tingly.
The actress called her son, Alex, and told him everything that was happening. “He worked with elderly people and recognized the symptoms. He phoned an ambulance straight away.”
After being rushed to a nearby hospital in Blackpool, the actress said her doctors confirmed she had suffered from a stroke.
Cheryl Fergison Opens up About Recovering From the Stroke
As she continued to speak about the health emergency, Fergison said the stroke left her unable to walk. She initially required three people to assist her in using the bathroom.
The actress now uses a cane to assist with walking.
“I have had to retrain my brain,” Fergison explained. “I couldn’t even pick up a penny at first.”
She further shared, “You lost the ability to coordinate your hands, to walk properly, your balance is gone. It’s frustrating and makes you angry. But I’ve started to recover. I am coming on in leaps and bounds now.”
While continuing to phyiscally therapy after the ordeal, Fergison said the stroke made her pause to reflect on life.
“Material things don’t matter; they can be lost or broken,” she pointed out. “But memories are everything. Friends, family, and laughter – that’s all that matters.”
The actress, who is about to celebrate her 60th birthday and is preparing to release her new memoir, then added, “Going into this new decade is a chance for a new me. I’m not ready to be put out to graze yet.”