Former Coronation Street star Craig Charles undertook a gruelling task on I’m A Celebrity but fans were instantly worried for him after he opened up about his heart condition
The former Coronation Street star recently opened up about his heart condition(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
Fans have been left worried for Craig Charles after he undertook a particularly gruelling trial on I’m A Celebrity South Africa. The actor, 61, best known for his roles in Red Dwarf and Coronation Street, initially competed on Ant and Dec’s reality survival show in 2014 but left camp early following the death of his brother Dean.
Now, Craig can be seen competing in the all-stars edition of the ITV programme, alongside fellow Corrie star Beverley Callard, TOWIE legend Gemma Collins and football manager Harry Redknapp amongst a host of others, was chosen by Jimmy Bullard to represent Team Rhino.
There, he faced Team Lion, which was headed up by Harry Redknapp, and made up of David Haye and Ashley Roberts. The contestants were all tied up and, with limited room for walking, had to rummage through muddy rocks until they found the golden nuggets.
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Craig took part in a gruelling trial and fans were instantly concerned(Image: ITV/I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! South Africa)
But the intense nature of the trial was instantly a worry for viewers at home, who are aware that Craig suffers from narrowed arteries – the same condition that led to his brother’s fatal heart attack more than a decade ago. Taking to X to share their concerns, one viewer wrote: “I’m scared for Craig’s heart during this trial.”
Another said: “Craig needs to be careful of his heart with the physically demanding trials!” and a third said: “Craig has stents in his heart be careful [heart emoji]”
The fan concern comes just days after Craig explained to his campmates that he was on “so much medication” each day he could not remember all the names. He explained: “I’m on about eight tablets a day. I’ve got four stents in my heart. 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.
“Anyway, her sister in law’s a nurse and said to call for an ambulance, so I didn’t, because you don’t call the ambulance on your own. And she was coming home in the morning, so she came home the next morning and took one look at me and got on the phone, and the woman said, ‘We think he’s having a heart attack, and stay with me
“She asked ‘what colour is he?’ And she [wife] said ‘he’s brown’. So by now I am having a heart attack and laughing my socks off.
Craig, also known for his role in Red Dwarf, first appeared in the jungle in 2014 but had to leave early when his brother suffered a fatal heart attack(Image: REX)
“And then they put a wire in, which is attached to a balloon, and then they blow the balloon up, then they stick a stent in, and it goes all the way up there into your heart, so it widens the artery.
Because apparently I was existing only 35% blood to my heart, and when they put the stents in and it’s on 100%. So they saved me. My brother had the same thing, but he passed out, he was working at a school as a teacher.”
Fellow campmate Scarlett Moffatt, who shot to fame on Gogglebox in 2014 and won I’m A Celeb just two years later, was full of praise for her new friend. She said in Bush Telegraph: “I think Craig is really, really brave coming back somewhere where you found out the most devastating news must be really hard.”
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