Coronation Street legend Malcolm Hebden has revealed that he doesn’t know whether he will return to his role as Norris Cole in the soap as he recovers from a massive heart attack. The Weatherfield icon has spoken out to praise the NHS for saving his life but admits that his return to work would depend entirely on how well he recovers.

Malcolm thought he had been suffering chest pains but was told that he had suffered at least one major, silent heart attack. He was admitted to hospital and spent three weeks in an induced coma before a groundbreaking procedure saw his heart ‘wallpapered’ using tissue from a cow.



Malcolm, 78-years-old, told the Blackpool Gazette: ‘The cardiac team, headed by Mr Zacharias, simply saved my life. Hospitals don’t get good press because the NHS just can’t do everything, but all praise to Blackpool hospital and the NHS.

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‘I met some nurses while at Blackburn, they had been coming round turning me every half hour through the night for weeks. But I didn’t meet the staff really at Blackpool; I want to thank these people who were strangers to me, but to whom I owe my life.’

Malcolm has now had the chance to meet the people who cared for him during his coma and operation and found the experience emotional. He has been absent from Coronation Street for a number of months, with fans having been concerned for his wellbeing.

But while he is certainly far from ruling out a return, it depends on his health.

He added: ‘People are asking if I’m returning to the Street, but that’s just not known yet. I may do, I may not, it depends on my recovery.’

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