‘The industry finished with me’: Leslie Ash, 59, claims she will ‘never, ever have the career she had before she contracted MSSA superbug in 2004’
She won a record £5m compensation payout in 2008 after contracting hospital-acquired infection, MSSA four years earlier.
And Leslie Ash, 59, discussed her belief that the industry ‘finished with her’ after her diagnosis and said she will never have the career she once had.
Talking to Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, the Men Behaving Badly star discussed the impact of contracting superbug MSSA.
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‘The industry finished with me’: Leslie Ash, 59, told Good Morning Britain on Tuesday she will ‘never, ever have the career she had before she contracted an MSSA superbug in 2004’
She said: ‘I was 44 in 2004. It was a difficult time in the industry anyway, a woman getting a bit older. It was also the peak of my career.
‘Everything was going well and then bam, the rug is taken from underneath you. You find yourself in hospital, paralysed from the waist down and you’ve to start all over again.
‘I’m still recovering. The amount of work you put in, that’s what you get out. I normally take a stick if I’m going on the tube or Christmas shopping.’
Painful: Leslie was admitted to hospital in April 2004 after suffering two cracked ribs after falling off her bed during a love-making session with husband, ex-footballer Lee Chapman
She said: ‘I was 44 in 2004. It was a difficult time in the industry anyway, a woman getting a bit older. It was also the peak of my career’
Leslie was admitted to hospital in April 2004 after suffering two cracked ribs after falling off her bed during a love-making session with husband, ex-footballer Lee Chapman.
She contracted MSSA, which, unlike superbug MRSA, does respond to standard antibiotic treatment.
She said on Tuesday: ‘I was on antidepressants, I was on very strong painkillers – and I had this feeling if I came off the painkillers I’d be in incredible pain.
‘My son said, “you should really get off them”. You can’t really make any decisions and they make you feel a bit of a zombie to be honest.
‘I thought as soon as I get back on my feet, I’ll be able to work again. The industry sort of finished with me, it’s horrible.’
She continued: ‘I’ll be doing it [acting] until I pop my clogs. I knew right from the start the industry I was getting into was hard.
Leslie was asked if she would like to act again and said: ‘Of course, I love acting. I still do. I’ve just done Holby City. I do little bits but I will never, ever have the career I had before’
‘I want to be involved in the industry. All my years, I’ve always been interested in directing, producing.’
Leslie was asked if she would like to act again.
She said: ‘Of course, I love acting. I still do. I’ve just done Holby City. I do little bits but I will never, ever have the career I had before, I realise that.’
She continued: ‘I want to be involved in the industry. All my years, I’ve always been interested in directing, producing’
DMSSA, unlike superbug MRSA, does respond to standard antibiotic treatment
