EastEnders star rushes wife to A&E after she's left 'unable to speak'

Soap favourite Ricky Champ has revealed that his wife was rushed to hospital after she was left unable to speak. Mum-of-two Sammy suffered complications to an ongoing health issue and was also left unable to see out of her swollen eyes.

The influencer revealed she was forced to get medical help as the family were about to head off on a dream trip to Disney

She explained: “What is the absolute one thing you don't need to happen the day before vou fly to Disney when you need to go shopping/ pack/clean/do washing...oh that's right, wake up with your lips so swollen you can't speak and eyes swollen shut so vou’re in A&E at 7am.

“One of the side effects of my gallstones and liver is severe hives all over my body every single morning that go away by bedtime then I wake up and it starts all over again.

“Something due to the toxins etc (still not considered urgent though, still been told need to wait a year + for an op).”

Mum-of-two Sammy then shared a series of pictures of her very swollen face before she returned to her normal self.

Since marrying Sammy in August 2016, actor Ricky Champ has built a life with their two children, daughter Beatrix and son River, while also carving out a varied career beyond EastEnders.

Best known for his role as Stuart Highway, Champ exited the long-running BBC soap in 2022 after what he called a transformative experience.

“In EastEnders I went from villain to hero to dad,” he told Digital Spy at the time. “It was amazing, doing that for five years with a character’s arc. It felt weird leaving him,” he admitted.

Though he's moved on professionally, Champ hasn’t closed the door on a potential comeback. “He didn’t die. He rode off into the sunset. I think he’s somewhere in the North Circular living with Rainie,” he said of his on-screen alter ego.

Since his departure, Champ has kept busy. A year later, he joined the West End cast of 2:22 A Ghost Story at the Apollo Theatre. He’s also made his way into streaming, landing a role in the Netflix period drama The Decameron, acting alongside Derry Girls star Saoirse-Monica Jackson.

In addition, Champ plays Sergeant Daz Black in ITV’s police training comedy Piglets, showing his versatility in both drama and comedy roles.

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