Leslie Ash has opened up about her 10-year battle against the MRSA superbug, revealing she is now off medication and is able to walk without a stick.
The former ‘Men Behaving Badly’ star was struck down by a deadly strain of the virus, while being treated for a broken rib in hospital in 2004, which she sustained when she fell out of bed during an “energetic” love-making session with husband Lee Chapman.
Leslie Ash
Now on the road to recovery, the actress told the Daily Mail that she is looking forward to rebuilding her career.
"It’s taken me ten years to come off all the medication and I feel a lot more awake and I am so much better. I have still got the stick – but I can actually walk around without it now for the first time ever – and I work out a lot.”
Leslie was left with permanent spinal injuries after contracting the superbug, but is now building up her strength with a sports coach.
"At the moment I am with this sports coach who is doing biomechanics with me. So he is looking at how I walk and how I run and giving me specific exercises to build my strength up.
"Biomechanics is like a neuropathic pathways and that is exactly what I need because of the damage to my spine. I can stand better now and I am working on my strength and my core stability and I can actually walk around without a stick."
Leslie was left needing to use a stick after contracting the superbug
Leslie was awarded £5 million in compensation from the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, which was settled out of court in 2008.
At the time she faced public criticism as the amount was compared to the low payouts received by the victims of the 7/7 terrorist attack, or injured soldiers.
"That made me feel really awful,” she told the Guardian of the legal battle. “It was a long four years and it was scary because we could have lost everything.”