Former Labour MP Jon Ashworth has revealed he suffered a major stroke at the start of the year.
The former Labour frontbencher, who is urging people to attend health checks which can uncover underlaying medical conditions, told The Independent that he is now “on the mend” after a blood clot triggered the stroke.
Mr Ashworth said: “It was such a lightning bolt out of blue but I’m on mend thankfully.”
The 47-year-old explained how his stroke was “totally unexpected”, adding that despite having “never smoked and run lots”, he was unaware he had “such high blood pressure”.
He also suggested that the “high pressure” environment of Westminster may have played a part in his sudden stroke.
Mr Ashworth, who lost his Leicester South seat to a Gaza independent candidate in 2024 just as Labour regained power after 14 years, had the stroke on New Year’s Day leaving him with stiffness in his left arm and a loss of sight in his left eye.
In an interview with The Mirror he said that he had always been too busy to go to free GP health checks and now is urging others to accept the invitations.
He said: “I had a blood clot that was restricting blood and oxygen getting to my brain. What caused my stroke was really high blood pressure.
“When I got the message from the local GP saying you need to come in for your health check, I was like ‘I’m too busy’ and kept putting it off. My message to your readers is to make sure you are keeping your blood pressure under control.”
The charity the Stroke Association has warned that by 2035, someone in the UK will have a stroke every three and a half minutes .Currently it is on average every five minutes.
The charity is calling for urgent action to tackle the health time bomb caused by a number of factors including diet, stress and other lifestyle issues.
Mr Ashworth said: “We need to really expand access to blood pressure support so that people can get their checks and that people can take their blood pressure seriously.
“In the NHS itself, we need 24/7 access across all stroke sites for a procedure called thrombectomy [which removes blood clots from blocked arteries and veins]. We need to see the investment in stroke services helping people get their blood pressure checked and making sure that the rehab needed is properly supported as well.”
When he had his stroke Mr Ashworth had been planning to run a double marathon for the National Association for Children of Alcoholics.
He is now hoping to run a half marathon for them in autumn for the charity as he continues his recovery.
He said: “They must have thought I was eccentric in the hospital because I was practising Shakespearean monologues because I wanted to reassure myself that I could still speak and memorise things.
“I’m doing a lot of physical rehab, I’ve been trying to get my arm moving and stacking two pence pieces. My two girls, they’re into Wicked, so I’ve been doing Wicked-themed Lego to help my arm.”
