Gloria Hunniford opens up on husband's stroke

Television presenter Gloria Hunniford has opened up her husband's stroke as she discussed the signs and symptoms people should be looking out for.

Appearing on Loose Women, the Portadown native spoke of how her father had experienced a stroke when she was younger which led to her recognising that her husband, celebrity hairdresser Stephen Wray had suffered a suspected stroke.

The 84-year-old presenter told the panel that she had been getting ready to go to work when Stephen took ill.

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"I was quite young at the time and my dad was the first time that I had seen a stroke close up," she said.

"When I went to the hospital after this panicked call, I couldn't believe what I was seeing because my dad never drove a car, he rode the bicycle every to work and back, here and there. I always regarded him as very fit and he didn't drink except for on special occasions.

"I couldn't fathom that this fit man who was riding the bicycle every day was lying with the sides of the bed up like a cot."

Gloria's father had lost his speech and was paralysed down one side but made a recovery.

"What I learned from that was that even though he got his speech back, he would say to me, Gloria isn't that moon really hot up there? Then he would go, that's not right, is it? I would say no that would be the sun dad and I always thought that if you were ill and had a stroke that you wouldn't know you had made a mistake.

"He did quite well but died of a really big stroke in the end."

Gloria recalled how recently, she was ready to go out to work one day when her husband fell into the room.

"There was a car waiting to take me filming outside the house and Stephen, my husband whom I love dearly, fell into the room," she said.

"I asked what happened and he said his arm was like marshmallow and he couldn't feel anything. That set off warning bells because there were other strokes in my family. So I said to him to lay down on the bed. In the meantime, I went next door and rang my GP and he said to take him to the hospital immediately."

Gloria got her husband out of the house and into the car which was waiting to take her to work and asked the driver to take them to A&E instead where her husband was treated for a stroke.

"If you go to A&E you can wait a long time but if you say my husband is having a heart attack or a stroke they take you like that," she continued.

"They were brilliant however the doctor kept saying to me how long ago did he have it. I am going please just give him something, do something, help him in some way.

"He was would say it again and I said maybe two and a half hours he asked again and I was getting more and more frustrated then he explained to me that four hours is the cut off point for effective treatment."

Gloria advised that if you think anyone is having a stroke to get them to the hospital as soon as possible.

"I believe that saved his life. However, they say to the patient in the middle of all this do you agree to have this clot-busting injection? I think he is not in any state to say that but the sister said that he had to have it because his leg was getting more and more disabled."

Since then, Stephen has suffered another stroke which has resulted in him losing his sight in his right eye.

The couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary last year

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