'EastEnders' star Joe Swash has spoken about his battle with meningitis and how he feels that the condition ruined his role in the soap.
The 26-year-old actor, who plays Mickey Miller in the show, told The Sun that her feared for his life when he was diagnosed with meningitis.
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The actor said: "My mum was told to prepare for the worst. The doctors said they weren’t sure I would pull through.
"It was so scary. Before, I thought I could do all this mad stuff. But it made me realise life is fragile.
"I’m just thankful I got out of it with no lasting damage. You hear stories of people losing limbs."
Speaking about his character leaving the soap, he said: "My illness had a massive impact on my job. When I came back I couldn’t find my feet.
"New producers came in and brought in new actors and I got lost down the pecking order.
"Mickey just became light relief – the joker. That’s all right but I’ve got more ambition.
"I would have stayed for ages if I had good stuff, but I wasn’t getting the work."
