Sir Brian May’s health has “stabilised” following a frightening stroke, according to his wife Anita Dobson. The Queen guitarist, aged 77, experienced a sudden loss of control in his left arm back in September, an ordeal that saw him rushed to Frimley Hospital with immediate concern for his condition.
“He’s much better now, he’s stabilised now, which is brilliant,” shared Anita, aged 75. “I just hope we don’t have any more reoccurrences. He’s got the use of that arm, which was a bit of a challenge, back now. So, yeah, he’s good to go now. He’s playing the piano quite a lot in the house. He likes a lot of Beethoven. I love it – the piano in the house is really, just very relaxing.”
Recalling the incident, Brian described it as a “minor stroke” but “scary”, remembering his hurried trip to the hospital with “blue lights flashing, the lot – very exciting”.
A mere week after the health emergency, Brian confirmed he could play guitar once again, having initially lost command over one arm. EastEnders star Anita, famed for her role as Angie Watts, spoke of her husband’s cautious approach to recovery at the TRIC Christmas Lunch where she was celebrated with a Legend award.
“He didn’t actually try until after he’d recovered quite a bit,” she disclosed about his return to music, reports the Mirror.
“And then he very slowly started to pick up an acoustic guitar and gradually just exercise the muscles. And it very quickly came back. He’s just retraining the messages from your brain to that arm, that it’s actually okay to do what it used to do. It was scary. And also being a genius for someone like that. His brain’s overloaded, that’s what it is. He’s too clever for his own good.”
Brian revealed at the time that he had been “grounded”, stating: “I’m not allowed to go out – well, I’m not allowed to drive, not allowed to get on a plane, not allowed to raise the heart rate too high.”
However, he is now permitted to enjoy life again, and he and Anita are planning to travel to Lapland this month to “meet the elves” for Christmas. The couple celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary two weeks ago, and during their celebrations, Brian reflected: “Take care out there folks and Carpe Diem ! Because tomorrow … who knows where the wind might blow.”
Anita has three step-children with Brian, whose mother was the rocker’s first wife Christine Mullen.
In 2020, Brian also suffered a heart attack, and expressed fears that he “could have died” at the time, having initially thought he had simply suffered a gardening injury.
Following this, he had three stents inserted into his heart, small tubes that keep blocked arteries open, aiding his recovery. In September, while discussing his “minor stroke”, he asked fans to refrain from sending him well-wishes.
“I really don’t want sympathy,” he stated. “Please don’t do that because it’ll clutter up my inbox and I hate that.”