EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison says ‘I couldn’t feel my side’ after stroke

EastEnders legend Cheryl Fergison has spoken out about the difficult time she faced after suffering a health scare.

EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison has shared the harrowing experience of suffering a stroke.

The 60-year-old actress, famed for playing Heather Trott in the BBC soap, disclosed earlier this month that she was rushed to hospital during “one of the lowest times in [her] life”.

“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,” she told The Mirror.

Speaking on This Morning today (Friday 29 August), Cheryl shared with hosts Rylan Clark and Josie Gibson just how terrifying the May incident was.

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She remembered taking a stroll with her son during the day, and feeling a headache developing when she got back home, though having never suffered from migraines previously, she wasn’t certain what was happening, reports the Daily Star.

“I went to bed, couldn’t settle, and had to go for a pee in the night because I’m of that age now. I got up to go and basically couldn’t balance, nearly fell over, couldn’t feel the right hand side of me.”

Her son called for an ambulance after suspecting she’d suffered a stroke, with Heather subsequently praising the NHS medical staff who cared for her.

“They’re more than angels,” she said. “I saw them be amazing and had to deal with so much.”

She continued: “I couldn’t walk when I was in there, couldn’t do a lot of things, I could talk.”

Cheryl revealed she “counted her blessings” and felt “humbled” following her health crisis.

She continued: “I’m one of those people, I don’t say if my cup is half empty or half full, I’m just happy to have a cup.”

Speaking about her optimistic perspective despite her ordeals, she explained: “When it happened, processing this [took a lot]. In our industry, I had jobs to go to, I was meant to fly out and do things. It was a money situation, but it all went.

“I was quite depressed for a couple of weeks, I thought my life was over, what is happening, how do I recover from this? But like I said, I had amazing support around me.”

Cheryl has previously been open about the struggles she’s faced in recent years, including being left “penniless” after discovering her husband was having an affair.

Ahead of her new memoir being released in which she talks about the blows she’s been dealt including being diagnosed with womb cancer in 2015 and undergoing a hysterectomy, Cheryl recently told The Mirror: “Material things don’t matter; they can be lost or broken, but memories are everything. Friends, family and laughter – that’s all that matters.

“Going into this new decade is a chance for a new me. I’m not ready to be put out to graze yet.”

This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX.