Gavin and Stacey star Larry Lamb, 77, said he is known for "never being ill" - but has recalled a condition he came down with that left him feeling "like [he] was dying". The actor said he has been left with hearing loss after becoming extremely unwell.
The I'm a Celebrity... Get Me out of Here star took a trip to Senegal to publicise the plight of some of the world's poorest children. Shortly after returning home, he came down with a debilitating fever. Lasting for months, the infection soon reached his ears and as a result caused complete deafness in one of them. Discussing what happened previously, Larry said: "It's been catastrophic. I'm famous for never being ill. But I went into complete physical meltdown.
“At one point I felt like I was dying. But the real shock was when I realised I couldn't hear properly.”. The infection and subsequent hearing loss may have been caused by malaria - a mosquito-borne infectious disease that causes fever, tiredness and headaches. Larry continued: “We were in and out within a week. Back home in north London I felt fine, so stopped taking the Malarone pills.
"I'd been told I should take them for eight days after leaving Senegal, but didn't understand why as I was completely well. But about three days later I began to feel ill. It was like the worst hangover I'd ever had. Find out about the symptoms you need to watch out for and get health advice with our free health newsletter from the Mirror.
