Welsh Hollyoaks and Netflix star’s lifesaving operation after migraine problem

Craig Russell had began forgetting issues and commenced affected by horrible migraines earlier than scans revealed he had a benign tumour in his mind which was the scale of a lime and had been there for over a decade

A Welsh actor mentioned he practically died after a big tumour grew undetected for greater than a decade inside his mind.

Craig Russell, recognized for his roles in TV reveals similar to Hollyoaks and Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra, has shared his near-death expertise which resulted in him having a deformed cranium.

Craig, 48, from Cwmtwrch within the Swansea Valleys and now residing in Falmouth in Cornwall together with his spouse Kate, 40, and their two sons Teddy, 10 and Henry, seven, mentioned he first observed there is perhaps an issue when he started forgetting issues after which had migraines in September 2022. For the most recent TV and showbiz gossip signal as much as our e-newsletter.

He then described a harrowing incident the place a “whooshing” got here from the again of his head when he gave a scream throughout filming for 2024 movie Fringe of Summer time which he mentioned “practically precipitated me to break down”.

By January 2023, grappling with deteriorating well being, Craig admitted he was “in every single place” till Kate urged him to guide an appointment together with his GP. In the course of the session he recalled how the physician realised Craig was shedding imaginative and prescient in his left eye and swiftly organized a CT scan.

Hours after the scan Craig’s GP telephoned with unsettling information that they’d “discovered one thing” inside the imagery, prompting an pressing referral for added MRI examinations in direction of the top of February 2023.

The scans revealed he had a considerable benign tumour inside his skull comparable in dimensions to a compressed lime.

Craig mentioned: “It stopped me in my tracks. I by no means thought it might occur to me.” Medics believed, given the scale of the tumour, it had most likely been growing inside his mind with out him realizing for round 15 years. “The tumour bought so massive it pushed my cranium up and out. It deformed the again of my head,” he defined.

Benign mind tumours could be harmful although they aren’t cancerous as a result of they’ll nonetheless trigger critical issues by urgent on and damaging the mind. So Craig underwent a dangerous operation in March 2023 to take away the mass which might have resulted in blindness or demise.

A part of his broken cranium was eliminated and rebuilt utilizing a plastic-concrete combine held in place by bolts and staples in his scalp. Craig underwent a essential seven-hour surgical procedure at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth the place surgeons eliminated a piece of his cranium affected by the tumour.

Craig recalled: “My surgeon defined my tumour had been rising there for about 15 years and it appeared to have enveloped all of the necessary stuff I wanted to outlive. There was a really actual likelihood I would not survive the operation as a result of one little mistake and that is it – or at finest I might come out blind or have a stroke.”

Craig, who praised his household and significantly his spouse for her “unwavering assist”, recovered efficiently and has since turn out to be an envoy for Mind Tumour Analysis and a patron for youngsters’s charity Joseph’s Smile.

His most up-to-date movie, Protein, which premiered on June 13 this yr that includes him within the function of a serial killer with a penchant for cannibalism, was a decade-long venture. At one level the actor mentioned it appeared unsure whether or not he would survive to witness its launch.

“Somebody requested me if I assumed I might ever see the movie completed, which was a sobering concept as I practically died earlier than it got here out,” he mentioned. “I am so glad I used to be there to see it – I do not know for those who can watch films from the afterlife so I simply have numerous satisfaction for everybody concerned. I really feel fortunate to have had a mind tumour in a means as a result of I’ve learnt a lot about life, folks, and resilience.”

Regardless of dealing with post-operative challenges with swelling and fluid build-up round his mind Craig revealed he has absolutely recovered, attributing his enchancment to weight-lifting which inspired the drainage of fluid. “My head nonetheless hurts often however I am now again to full well being,” he mentioned.

He has advocated for elevated authorities funding in direction of mind tumour analysis and he has taken on the function of an envoy for Mind Tumour Analysis. Developments in treating meningiomas, the form of mind tumour Craig endured, could also be coming as researchers from the College of Plymouth have pinpointed a major protein influencing their progress, experiences Mind Tumour Analysis.

By focusing on the protein scientists managed to decelerate or cease the proliferation of tumour cells in lab environments – a growth that Craig described as “an enormous step ahead”. Craig’s current movie, Protein, which is displaying in choose cinemas, was significantly poignant for him given the uncertainty over whether or not he would reside to see its premiere.

“The actual fact all that work we did is now being recognised favourably, particularly by Mark Kermode, makes me so proud, so glad, and so relieved,” he added. “If I had really listened to my physique this may have all been performed and dusted years in the past – so for those who suppose you have bought one thing unsuitable please simply go and see your physician.”

Protein is at present screening in choose cinemas and is about for digital launch on July 14.