Former Coronation Street actor announces passing of family member with poignant photograph
Chris Fountain, famed for his role as Tommy Duckworth in Coronation Street, has shared the heartbreaking news of his dear grandfather's passing.
Former Coronation Street star Chris Fountain has announced the passing of his grandfather on Instagram, sharing a poignant black and white photograph of their time together with the caption “Goodnight old pal.”
The 36-year-old actor, known for his role as Tommy Duckworth in the soap, expressed his sorrow by including a broken heart emoji in his post. Their close bond was evident through their frequent outings, often documented on Chris’s social media, much to the delight of his followers.
In a heartfelt tribute posted earlier in September, Chris reminisced about a cherished day spent aboard the Northern Belle train with his beloved grandfather. Alongside a series of photos from their excursion, he wrote, “Me and my best pal, my Grandad, had a chuffing lovely day out on the Northern Belle Train. Creating more priceless memories. My grandad has always been my best mate whom I cherish dearly, and I absolutely love our trips away together.”
In a heartfelt turn of events, Chris mourns the loss of his dear grandfather, coming just after he openly shared his anxieties about the possibility of experiencing ‘another stroke.’ This sorrowful moment follows a year-long battle since Chris was rushed to the hospital, grappling with a life-threatening blood clot post a seizure at his residence. Providing an update on his health, he reflects on the past 12 months since enduring a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) that led to crucial heart surgery.
A TIA, often referred to as a ‘mini-stroke,’ occurs when there’s a brief disruption in the brain’s blood flow, resulting in temporary issues affecting movement and speech.
Chris was acutely aware that something was amiss as he woke up with speech difficulties. Alarmed, the celebrity promptly sought an ambulance from his London home. Sharing a retrospective picture of his hospital stay, he captioned it: “One year ago today. Life’s unpredictability strikes swiftly, and while I’ve had to adapt significantly, things have remarkably improved. Stay optimistic, embrace life to the fullest, and persevere through tough times,” he imparted.
Opening up further, he confessed, “It’s been a strange adjustment. Part of me worries, ‘Will it happen again today?’ Yet, another part of me feels immensely proud of my recovery. My speech has largely returned to normal, I’ve conquered a marathon, and I feel fit once more.”
These events come in the wake of Chris recently revealing the toll on his mental health after being dismissed from an ITV soap due to a controversial rap music video. His television career flourished with notable roles like Justin Burton in Hollyoaks and Tommy Duckworth in Coronation Street.
However, his professional trajectory took a drastic turn in 2013 when footage surfaced of him performing rap music, masked as ‘The Phantom,’ with lyrics deemed misogynistic and references to assault. Despite Chris’s heartfelt apology and the video being from a year prior to his dismissal, public outcry ensued, resulting in his abrupt departure from Coronation Street.
During an interview on Scott Thomas’s Learning As I Go podcast, Chris candidly discussed the fallout from his dismissal, revealing the severe impact on his mental well-being. He lamented, “That particular week in August 2013 shattered my entire life. Everything I’d painstakingly built in my career crumbled. It marked the beginning of a distressing decline in my mental health and self-assurance.”
