Craig Charles is set to hit our TV screens this weekend – but he’s previously faced some tough challenges in his life
Craig Charles is set to appear on television screens this weekend with a stint on Jeremy Clarkson’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, participating in the celebrity special on Saturday (August 23) at 7:30pm.
Back in 2014, Craig participated in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! but unfortunately his stint on the ITV show was cut short for a heartbreaking reason.
The 61-year-old, who initially shot to stardom on the sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf, joined the Coronation Street lineup in 2005 as the beloved taxi driver Lloyd Mullaney. He stayed in the role for ten years before deciding it was time to depart the cobbles for good, only revealing his true motivations for leaving years afterwards, reports Wales Online.
With Craig’s latest television outing we couldn’t resist looking back at the Liverpool performer’s private life and all of the personal challenges he has faced.
Heartbreaking reason for Corrie departure
Craig Charles’ real reason for leaving Corrie(Image: ITV)READ MORE: Craig Charles issues health update after becoming ‘violently ill’ as fans send supportREAD MORE: Craig Charles’ Coronation Street return ‘sealed’ as new owner of Street Cars ‘revealed’
In 2011 Craig revealed that he would be stepping away from his Coronation Street character to rejoin the Red Dwarf cast as Dave Lister – but subsequently returned to the ITV drama until 2015.
“I have had an absolutely fantastic 10 years on Coronation Street and I will be very sad to leave,” the actor declared when he announced he was heading back into outer space during a This Morning appearance.
He added: “Lloyd has become a huge part of my life and I have made some amazing friends with whom I will always keep in touch. But I feel I owe it to my colleagues on Red Dwarf to join them in filming the new series and finding out what is in store.”
However, it wasn’t simply his desire to reunite with former castmates that prompted his departure. Back in 2014, whilst Craig was appearing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! he received the devastating news that his brother Dean had suffered a cardiac arrest and died.
His brother’s sudden death came as a complete shock and truly made him realise how fragile life can be. Speaking to OK! Magazine, he revealed: “My brother died when I was on I’m a Celeb. He was only 52. I thought, ‘If I died suddenly, would I be happy with what I’d achieved?'”
“The honest answer was no. So I promised myself I’d have new adventures. I wouldn’t have been able to do half the stuff I’ve done if I’d stayed in Coronation Street.”
Life-saving surgery
Craig Charles found fame on Red Dwarf(Image: TV Grab)
Following the loss of his brother to a heart attack, Craig was rushed to hospital after displaying symptoms of cardiac arrest himself. Despite the seriousness of his condition – the very same ailment that claimed his brother’s life in 2014 – the Red Dwarf star managed to find some positivity during the terrifying experience.
Discussing his health scare with the Daily Mail, he revealed: “God must have smiled at me. They got me to the hospital in time.”
He further recalled to the same publication: “I was sweating, but I was also really cold, and my teeth were tingling. My wife Jackie was in Ireland visiting her family so I went to bed and phoned her. Jackie’s sister-in-law is a nurse and she said, ‘Get him to hospital – now!’ But I wouldn’t go on my own.”
Craig continued: “Jackie came back to England the next morning, saw me and immediately phoned 999. They said, ‘The ambulance is on its way – what colour is he?'”
“Jackie looked at me and said, ‘Well, he’s brown.’ I was having a heart attack and laughing at the same time.”
Following his heart attack, Craig was offered micro-surgery that involved inserting a tube through his wrist.
He explained to the same publication: “They went through my wrist into my heart. Put a tube in, then a balloon, pumped it up then put four stents in.”
Dangerous Corrie stunts
Craig Charles had a narrow escape on set
Coronation Street’s Sue Cleaver once revealed how she’d once become overzealous on set and “nearly killed” her fellow cast members Simon Gregson and Craig during filming.
Sue was best known for portraying the character of Eileen Grimshaw, alongside Craig and Simon, but remembered one “violent” incident when she feared she’d inflicted serious injury on her co-stars.
Speaking about the moment on This Morning, she reflected: “I remember in the early days when you slapped someone – you used to do it. Now, you’ve got stunt people in and it’s all magic but we used to do it.”
The actress confessed: “I remember banging Steve McDonald and Craig [Charles]’s heads together and there was an almighty bang. Honestly, I nearly killed them. I got carried away.”
Who Wants to Be A Millionaire will air on Saturday, 7:30pm, on ITV1.