Gillian Wright has opened up about suffering a terrifying illness which almost left her dead.
The actress, who returned to EastEnders for a guest appearance as Jean Slater last week, was struck down with a shock sickness last year and was rushed to hospital in agony.
Doctors told the star she was lucky to be alive after she experienced “unbelievable” stomach pains which left her wanting to “end it all”.
She told the Sunday Mirror: “It was touch and go.
"It’s no exaggeration to say I had a real brush with death.”
Gillian, who is currently appearing in West End show How The Other Half Loves, first felt very ill during a dog agility class with her pet lurcher Professor Scruff.
She said: “I suddenly felt this sharp pain in my stomach and it didn’t go away.
“I made it home, a neighbour dialled 999 and I was whisked to hospital.”
After tests, she was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, a condition when the pancreas becomes inflamed.
The majority of cases improve within a week without any problems but some can have serious complications and prove fatal.
It can be caused by a number of things including gallstones and alcoholism but it’s thought Gillian’s case was hereditary.
She said: “I was so ill my parents flew down from the Highlands of Scotland to look after me. And my sister, Lois, and nephew, Stanley, were frantic.
“The pain was unbearable. If somebody had given me the choice of living with that pain a day longer or swallowing a pill to end it all, I’d have taken the tablet.
“No question. It was unbelievable.”
Gillian was prescribed morphine to ease the horrendous pain but she suffered side effects including hallucinations.
She said: “It makes you as high as a kite. One night, I was found at the foot of a bed giving a Shakespearean monologue.
“The poor woman suddenly woke and blurted out ‘Oh my God, it’s Jean Slater and she’s having one of her funny turns.’”
The actress has now made a full recovery but needed months of rest and follow-up appointments with doctors.
But she was determined to carry on working as she had already signed up to appear as Cinderella in pantomime in Bournemouth last Christmas.
She said: “The consultants were concerned it would be too much doing two shows a day. I got through it, though. And I’m fine now. But it was a close call.”
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