Yahoo News Joe Pasquale taken to hospital after freak moose antler accident - 'I nearly died'
His reflexes apparently saved him.
Comedian Joe Pasquale has said he is lucky to be alive after a run-in with a set of "huge" moose antlers.
Pasquale, who is currently touring his comedy show The New Normal - 40 Years of Cack! around the UK, described the bizarre incident to host Kate Thornton on the White Wine Question Time podcast this week.
"I nearly died at the weekend. I nearly killed myself - I nearly died, I really did. I was that close!" revealed Pasquale with disbelief and relief in his voice.
"In the act, I have a great big pair of moose antlers - huge things. They've got these big prongs sticking up and the last gag is, I just put them on and go, 'I've put too much moose on my hair!'"
Read more: Joe Pasquale's son and Hollyoaks actor Joe Tracini opens up about drug abuse and suicide attempt
Once the curtain came down, the stage floor was littered with all of the comedian's props, including the decorative deer piece. On this particular evening, though, he tripped over it.
"My moose head's on the floor sticking up right... I'm starting to go down on the... I'm falling on the moose head. I was gonna impale myself on eight moose points in my belly. Seriously Kate, I was gonna die!
"Now I know I'm 62, but I am quite nimble for my age," he proudly pointed out to Thornton.
"So I had one leg on the ground and the other one's hanging out to the right-hand side somewhere, and I managed to push myself over - my torso went over the moose head. It was like Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible... I actually twisted round onto my back as well. All in a split second.
"It was all in slow motion and as I came down the moose head only got me in the back of the leg. It really hurt but I thought, 'Oh that's OK.'"
With a "great big hole" gaping right behind his kneecap, the venue's medic temporarily patched Pasquale up before he headed off to Bridlington A&E the morning after.
He then joked that he'd need to cork the end of the antlers as a future safety precaution.
Read more: Moose on the loose after crashing through basement window into family’s living room
Pasquale also recalled being made to go to confession at the age of five years old and making up things to say.
“My dad was a staunch Catholic. My mum was Church of England so she wasn’t a churchgoer as such,” he said.
“But Dad was. I went to a Catholic school and I remember having to go to confession at five years old… what had I done at five years old that I had to confess?
“So I’d go in there and I’d say, ‘I threw a stone at Vincent Garvey today’. And I hadn’t really… So then a week later, I could go back and say I’d lied last week because I’d lied in the confession.”
30 years on the circuit
Born in Essex in 1961, the funnyman's high-pitched voice fast became his calling card out on the road, with popular tours including 1996's Live and Squeaky, 1997's Twin Squeaks, 2000's Bubble and Squeak, and 2005's Does He Really Talk Like That? The Live Show.
In 2018, Pasquale also played accident-prone Frank Spencer in the first-ever stage production of 1970s sitcom Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em.
His son is Hollyoaks cast member Joe Tracini, who played Dennis Savage up until 2018.
Having built a solid fanbase with his jokes, Pasquale appeared on and was crowned 'King of the Jungle' in the 2004 series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, winning ahead of former royal butler Paul Burrell.
His career received a bounce after his jungle success and in 2005 he starred in ITV comedy special An Audience With Joe Pasquale.
He went on to compete in Dancing on Ice nine years later with pro skater Vicky Ogden.
For many Pasquale fans, his crowning moment was the irritating musical earworm 'I know a song that will get on your nerves!'
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