QUEEN legend Brian May has credited his EastEnders star wife Anita Dobson for saving his life when he suffered a heart attack earlier this year.
Lead guitarist Brian, 73, was diagnosed with three blocked arteries in May and was fitted with three stents during an operation.
Following his surgery, the musician told fans that he was “ready to rock” and described his heart attack as “small”.
But after being discharged from hospital, Brian went on to suffer severe complications from the medication he was taking and he almost died.
He has told the Daily Express: “It was the worst thing, the complications that came on afterwards from the drugs that you have to take actually nearly killed me – much more than the heart attack.
“For about a month I could hardly crawl across the floor, I was really, really bad.”
Brian has described his wife of 20 years, former EastEnders actress Anita, 71, as “incredible”.
He added: “She totally saved my life because I couldn’t do anything and she just kind of nursed me, so I will forever be in her debt, she did an incredible job on me”
Dad-of-three Brian suffered his heart attack shortly after the UK was plunged into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Queen had been due to perform the European leg of their sell-out tour, having already toured Japan, Korea and Australia.
Following his surgery, Brian told fans that the emergency had unfolded just after finding out he had ripped his buttock muscles.
He said he had been in “agony” from the injury – with a further MRI finding he had a compressed sciatic nerve that had caused the pain that was like “putting a screwdriver in my back”.
But he had also been “very near death” without realising, as doctors found he had three congested arteries.
Brian said: “In the middle of the whole saga of the painful backside, I had a small heart attack. I say small, it’s not something that did me any harm.
“It was about 40 minutes of pain in the chest and tightness. It’s that feeling in the arms and sweating.”
Although he said there was “pressure” to have open-heart surgery, Brian opted to have three stents put in to open up his arteries.
He said: “When I came around, it was as if nothing had happened.
“I couldn’t feel they had been in here. I couldn’t feel anything and I still can’t, it’s been amazing.
“It’s an incredible operation done by the right skilful person and I thank them from the bottom of my heart”.
But Brian’s video address to his fans came before he was struck down with complications.
The star also told the Daily Express that he might need another surgical procedure as a result of the complications.
He and Anita are still shielding at home together in Surrey amid the pandemic. Brian wonders if his heart attack was parked by coronavirus.
The star said he had a cough in January during Queen’s tour of Australia, Korea and Japan and has said Covid-19 has been proven to thicken blood.
