Leslie Ash has grappled with the hospital-acquired infection MSSA, short for Meticillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus, for two decades, providing an update on her health.
During a conversation with Richard Madeley on the set of Good Morning Britain, the 64-year-old actress, sporting her iconic blonde bob, reflected on her condition.
She emphasized that her life would “never ever be the same as it was” following the infection.
“I will never be the same as I was”, the Men Behaving Badly star said, “It is 20 years exactly. It’s fine – I can still do bits, just nowhere near what it was before.”
Leslie candidly shared that her former footballer husband Lee Chapman has steadfastly supported her in coping with the infection on a daily basis.
“I am very lucky my husband helps me with my rehab. He gets me in the gym and makes sure I stay fit – I have got to keep my core strength.”
As previously mentioned, Leslie contracted the deadly bug during an April 2004 visit to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, following a fall from her bed at home that resulted in two broken ribs.
Although discharged after a few days, she soon returned after a horrifying realization: she had lost all feeling in her legs.
Leslie received the news like a slap to the face: she had contracted MSSA, a strain of MRSA, during her hospital stay. Since then, she has relied on a walking stick, and her acting career appeared compromised.
Despite her harrowing ordeal, Leslie Ash revealed she considers herself “very lucky” as doctors initially rendered her unable to walk when she was diagnosed with the infection. “They said I’d be in a wheelchair,” she recalled on the ITV breakfast staple following her update.
In January 2007, Leslie confirmed she was suing the hospital. While the establishment admitted to a breach of duty over her treatment, they refused to take responsibility for the extent of her injuries. One year later, it was reported that she had received a £5 million compensation in an out-of-court settlement.
Following the settlement, Leslie stepped away from the limelight for a handful of years. She portrayed Vanessa Lytton in medical drama Holby City between 2009 and 2010 before taking an indefinite break.
However, she resumed her acting career from 2020 onwards, proving her illness would not hinder her.
The actress notably reprised the role of Vanessa in Holby City’s twin soap, Casualty, in 2021, and even guest-starred in Doctors for one episode that same year.
In February 2024, Riverside Studios in West London revealed their spring schedule on the West End, which includes Aaron Thakar’s play Artificially Yours, starring Tyger Drew-Honey (Outnumbered, Cuckoo), with Leslie Ash in the lead role of Pippa.