One Foot in the Grave star Richard Wilson seen out and about for the first time since August heart attack scare
Television comic, famous for playing Victor Meldrew, was left fighting for his life after horror fall
ONE Foot in the Grave star Richard Wilson is spotted in public for the first time since his heart attack.
The Scottish actor, 80, beamed while taking a stroll in the sunshine with the aid of his walking stick, looking far from his grumpy character Victor Mildrew, who he portrayed in the BBC sitcom between 1990 and 2000.
In August, he was left fighting for his life in intensive care after the attack caused him to fall over and sustain a serious head injury.
The actor was rushed to the Royal Free Hospital in London where doctors confirmed he had suffered a cardiac arrest.
Richard – who was made an OBE in 1994 – has suffered with angina for years and is being closely monitored by doctors.
The heart attack and fall comes just days before he had been due to reprise his role as rage-fuelled pensioner Victor Meldrew on stage in a one-man show in Edinburgh.
One Foot In The Grave changed Richard’s life, winning him millions of fans and financial security.
He said: “I suppose the novelty of ‘I don’t believe it!’ was rather amusing at first. And then it became rather boring.
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“And then I just thought to myself, ‘Well, you’re never going to escape this, so you might as well accept it.’
“Victor did change my life. If I am walking down the street now and someone shouts it at me I just raise a hand and wave and walk on.”
Before his fall, Richard was looking forward to bringing back his most famous creation.
But close friend Annette Crosbie, who played his long-suffering onscreen wife Margaret Meldrew, told The Sun she doubts his one-man show will ever happen.
Annette said: “It’s seems so poignant that he was about to play Victor Meldrew again, and I know these were going to be the funniest scripts of the lot.
“But I suppose it won’t happen now.
“It’s a shame because actors always like to go out with a round of applause.”
His last telly appearance was in 2015 Sky 1 sitcom Trollied.