Duncan James reveals he needs another spine operation after he was left paralysed one side and unable to walk properly
DUNCAN James has admitted more surgery is needed on his spine following a life-threatening surgery in 2016.
The Blue star - who was left with paralysis down his left side after his previous emergency operation - has revealed his body has still not completely recovered, meaning he will need to return to the operating table when he wraps up filming on Hollyoaks.
Duncan - who plays bad boy Ryan Knight in the Channel 4 soap - almost lost his life in June 2016, when vital fluid from his brain began pouring out of an old surgery wound and almost killed him.
Fortunately doctors were able to relieve the trapped nerve in his spine and get the leak under control when he was rushed to theatre, though he was left with paralysis down his left side, with further surgery needed to fix the issue.
He told BANG Showbiz: "Unfortunately I suffered with a very bad back in 2016 and it's still not right and once I've finished with Hollyoaks.
"I'm going to have to go and have some more surgery on it because it's left me with a limp all down my left side."
He continued: "It's quite complicated but it's the nerve and the nerve got badly compressed by my disc and if the nerve gets damaged for more than 24 hours it dies and unfortunately I was at 36 before they operated so it's slowly started to die.
"It's been a year and a half now and it hasn't woken up so I have a lot of problems with the way I walk. I really hope I get the feeling back."
Recalling the severity of his condition, he confessed: "It was completely life-changing. I was catheterised for three weeks and I wasn't able to pee by myself.
"It was really horrible. I'm a young guy, I'm fit and healthy and then one minute the life changes."
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The 39-year-old singer was also told that there was a high chance that he would have to be catheterised for life because doctors didn't know if his bladder would work, which also prompted the star to call his sex life into question.
"They took the catheter out and you know the doctors said it's a risk because you might not get that feeling back again," he explained.
"I might have to always have a bag and I was like: 'Oh my God, please don't tell me I'll have to walk around with a p**s bag attached to me.' Of course it would've changed my sex life. I would have been devastated if it had."
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