Hollyoaks and EastEnders star Craig Russell has revealed how he ‘almost died’ from an undetected brain tumour.
The actor, who starred as DI Mark Gascoyne in the Channel 4 soap, opened up about the symptoms he suffered as a result of the tumour, which had gone undetected for 15 years.
He began to notice symptoms like memory loss, confusion and loss of vision in one eye in 2022,before his wife Kate Edney urged him to see a doctor.
He was then sent for CT and MRI scans, which revealed a benign tumour growing in his brain, roughly the size of a squashed lime.
‘It stopped me in my tracks, I never thought it would happen to me,’ he told PA Real Life.
‘The tumour got so big it pushed my skull up and out, it deformed the back of my head.’
The actor, who has two children, revealed that he needed to undergo surgery to remove the tumour.
Writing for Metro in 2023, Craig explained: ‘On 3rd March 2023, I had a meeting with the surgeon who explained that the tumour was running out of room and shutting my brain down.
‘They explained that if they didn’t get it out now, I would start having fits, strokes and worse.
‘He told me the risks; that I could go blind. That I could die. I was in the office with a consultant, his PA and Kate, and I just put my head in my hands and said “flipping heck” so I didn’t let out a volley of foul language.
‘It was a shock. But that was the hardest part of the whole journey. It was sobering and ground shaking. But it only lasted about ten seconds before I snapped out of it.’
He continued to PA Real life: ‘My surgeon explained my tumour had been growing there for about 15 years, and it appeared to have enveloped all the important stuff I needed to survive.
‘There was a very real chance I wouldn’t survive the operation because one little mistake and that’s it, or at best I could come out blind or have a stroke,’ he explained.
Craig had the operation in 2023, where surgeons were able to successfully remove the entire tumour.
‘My head still hurts occasionally but I’m now back to full health,’ he said.
He went on to urge people to listen to their bodies and see a doctor if something doesn’t feel right.
‘If I had truly listened to my body, this would have all been done and dusted years ago – so if you think you’ve got something wrong, please just go and see your doctor.’
