West End star Mike Holoway has tragically lost the sight in one eye after enduring a brutal attack while he was stationary at traffic lights.
The 63-year-old performer required stitches directly in his right eyeball when a thug violently thrust a metal object through his van window in East London.
Following this harrowing incident, Mike is faced with the prospect of three more operations over the next nine months, which are crucial for the salvage of his vision.
Famous for his four-year spell as Joseph in the hit musical ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’, Mike suspects the aggravated assault was a botched theft attempt.
The dreadful event occurred on December 18, leaving Mike to navigate what he described on Instagram as an emotional “roller coaster”.
While currently stable, he has voiced that there’s a long journey ahead for his eye to recover.
Recounting the scary experience to the Sun, Mike detailed how the assailant punched through his driver’s side window. He felt an immediate impact to his face and was flung across to the passenger seat, reports the Mirror.
“I had to have metallic fragments pulled out of my face,” he disclosed. Mike also shared his shock: “You think you know how you can react in these situations.
“But I saw stars. I didn’t know what the hell was going on.”.
Police are investigating whether the culprit wielded a knuckle-duster or a small, heavy metal item during the attack on Mike’s van. A GoFundMe page initiated by Mike’s spouse suggests that the onslaught ceased abruptly—and the assailant fled in his own vehicle—as the traffic resumed moving.
She shared: “In a matter of seconds, Mike’s life was turned upside down and over this past month, between several trips to Moorfields for appointments and check ups, the gravity of the situation has started to sink in and at times it is overwhelming, made all the more frustrating finding out that within 3 weeks of this happening, the Met Police closed the GBH case due to there being no cctv in the area so there is no way of tracking the attacker – it is deeply unfair that justice won’t be served.”
Mike also expressed his gratitude towards the “angel of the day”, a good Samaritan named Bobby, who ensured he received hospital attention after the assault. Following the incident, Mike endured over seven hours in AandE, undergoing numerous scans and tests.
His subsequent transfer to an eye hospital for surgery leaves the extent of vision recovery uncertain.
“I’ve got to have a lens replacement. I’ve got to get a cornea donor. I’ve got to have a cornea replacement,” he detailed. “My eye at the moment is being held together by six stitches. I’m on painkillers all day, every day for the first five weeks of it happening. It’s a bit of a blur. My wife Emma has been incredible.”
Over the weekend, he marked his birthday and looked to be in high spirits despite his recent tribulations. Standing next to celebratory balloons, his injury couldn’t be missed – his eye was significantly bandaged up.
Taking to Instagram to update everyone on his progress and express gratitude for the tremendous support and generosity towards his GoFundMe campaign, he shared: “Things are improving well for me.”
He finished off by expressing his heartfelt thanks to Moorfields Eye Hospital and telling his followers: “Thank you, I love you all.”
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