Duncan James may never get the feeling back in his left leg after he was hit with a rare illness two months ago.
The Blue singer was forced to undergo two emergency operations on his spine after vital fluid from his brain began pouring out of an old surgery wound and could have killed him.
He explained: "I had an MRI scan at hospital in June and they rushed me into surgery. They said if they didn’t operate that same day I’d be paralysed because a nerve that was trapped would die. I’d also lost control of my bladder. They said I might have to be catheterised permanently. I couldn’t believe it. I thought that only happened to old people."
The 38-year-old singer – who first began battling with back problems in 2003 – was also told that he may not come out of the surgery alive but he refused to let that get to him.
He said: "Doctors told me I could have spent the rest of my life in a wheelchair – or died. The feeling in my leg may take years to come back – and it may never return."
And, although he’s still battling with paralysis in his left leg, Duncan has come on leaps and bounds in the past eight weeks and is set to make his debut in ‘Hollyoaks’ this week.
However, Duncan – who portrays hunky newbie Ryan Knight – hasn’t had it easy on set as he’s been trying to get around while on camera without the aid of his walking sticks.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror newspaper, he said: "I’ve been trying hard to hide the issue. There has been a lot of leaning on walls and using props for support."
And, although it hasn’t ruined his career, he believes his condition has shattered his chances of competing in ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ one day in the future.
He said: "My dream would have been to do ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ too one day. That would have been such a great thing to do, but there’s no way I can do that now.
"This has been a real game changer for me. But I know I’ve been incredibly lucky."
Duncan James may never feel his left leg after rare illness
