'Corrie' and 'Dancing On Ice' star Chris Fountain, 35, suffered mini-stroke

Chris Fountain has revealed he suffered a mini-stroke that could have killed him if not diagnosed in time.

The 35-year-old soap star - known for his roles in Hollyoaks and Coronation Street - has told how he called for medical help after realising that he could no longer remember the words for everyday household objects.

Fountain told the Mirror: “I woke up one morning and knew something wasn’t right. My mum called me and I just couldn’t get my words out. I started walking round my house looking at things and I could think what the word was, like television or fridge, but I couldn’t say it.

Read more: Chris Fountain complains he was cut from Dancing On Ice best bits show

“I called 111 on my mum’s advice and they sent an ambulance for me, it was so scary.

“I felt stupid because I knew exactly what I wanted to say to the doctors, but I couldn’t get the words out, I was speaking like a toddler, I was really embarrassed."

Fountain was admitted to Homerton University Hospital in August 2022 and transferred to a specialist stroke unit at The Royal London Hospital.

Doctors diagnosed a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA), also known as a mini-stroke, caused by a blood clot on the brain, which Fountain described as a "ticking time bomb in my head".

The actor - who was runner-up in the third series of Dancing On Ice in 2008 - suffered damage to the left side of his brain and is has been working with a speech therapist to regain 90 per cent of his speech.

Fountain said: “When the doctors said the word stroke, I just couldn’t believe it, there was a moment of sheer panic just fearing what it meant for the rest of my life.

“I was really scared and just broke down in tears.”

The soap star has been diagnosed with a hole in his heart which caused the blood clot to travel to his brain, He must undergo surgery to repair the hole, in a bid to prevent further strokes.

Fountain rose to fame as Justin Burton in Hollyoaks between 2003 and 2009.

He then became known for playing Jack Duckworth's grandson Tommy Duckworth in Corrie in 2010.

Read more: Shamed Soap Star Chris Fountain left depressed and ashamed

But he was sacked from the ITV soap in 2013 after he was revealed to be have recorded a YouTube video rapping about violence against women.

He said afterwards: "I let a lot of people down including myself. I didn’t leave the house for a long time, I was really depressed and really ashamed and rightly so."

Watch: Chris Fountain previously opened up about his mental health after being fired from Corrie