‘I was warned I could die’: Queen Cleopatra star Craig Russell reveals he underwent ‘complicated’ surgery for a brain tumor after filming the Netflix show
Netflix star Craig Russell was warned he could have died prior to major brain tumor surgery last year.
The Welsh actor, who plays Marc Antony in The Queen Cleopatra series, has now opened up about the diagnosis.
During the production of the controversial new series, Craig said he felt fit and healthy.
But at the end of last year, the star started exhibiting strange behavior and suffered from severe migraines, hearing loss and his eyesight was deteriorating.
He told The mirror: ‘Just before Christmas I walked into the guest room and I couldn’t remember how to get out. There was only one door, it wasn’t like I could choose from multiple exits.’
‘It was so complicated’: Netflix star Craig Russell was warned he could have died prior to major brain tumor surgery last year
‘It was totally unexpected’: The Welsh actor, who plays Marc Antony in the Queen Cleopatra series (pictured), has now opened up about the diagnosis
Craig went to a doctor and got a CT scan that showed his tumor was the size of a lime and the doctors thought he had been growing for 15 years.
The actor was told to remove the tumor immediately and that he would go blind in his left eye.
“I got a call saying, ‘We need to get this out as soon as possible.’ It was totally unexpected. I was very tearful when I told my wife, Kate – and that they didn’t know if it was cancer or not. But she was great and said “we will win this”.
“I was warned that I could die during the procedure because it was so complicated. But if not removed, it could cause epileptic seizures and strokes.”
The actor considered the risks and decided he “had to do it” for his wife and two kids.
In March, just two months before Queen Cleopatra appeared on Netflix, he underwent the risky surgery.
Surgeons spent six hours removing the back of Craig’s skull that had “touched the tumor” before reassembling it with 55 staples.
The procedure went well, but the Welsh star had to go back to hospital after his wife noticed moisture behind his staples.
There was a big swelling on Craig’s head and doctors said it was causing fluid to build up inside so he had to move around as much as possible.
The Netflix star started taking daily walks, lifting weights and eating anti-inflammatory foods to try and help.
Craig said he was “over the moon” when doctors told him the move had worked and the swelling had stopped.
The actor will now have to undergo MRI scans every six months for the next ten years, but Craig gushed that he was “glad I felt good while making Queen Cleopatra.”
He added that he was thankful his GP had sent him for the brain scan to begin with, otherwise he “could have had a seizure while taking his kids to school.”
Two months after the major surgery, Craig said he feels a lot more like himself again.
‘I was warned I could die’: During the production of the new show, Craig said he felt fit and healthy, but late last year the star started exhibiting strange behavior