Maria Venuti’s
She almost died nine months ago but the showbiz icon has astounded doctors with her incredible recovery
comeback
Maria Venuti is singing again. The stage and TV star with the big hair and the even more generous cleavage was last week celebrating yet another milestone in her recovery after almost dying last November. She suffered a massive stroke and was left for dead in her Sydney home after being terrorised by a stalker. The vivacious 76-year-old smiled, laughed and sang her way through an interview with A Current Affair, bringing joy to the many fans who have followed her heartbreaking ordeal – and surprising doctors who thought she may never recover.
“They said it was one of the most catastrophic strokes they’ve ever seen,” reveals daughter Bianca, who has helped nurse her mum, barely leaving her bedside for weeks while doctors fought to keep her alive.
She refused to accept a neurosurgeon’s prognosis that Maria would never leave hospital and would rely on a feeding tube for the rest of her life, telling him, “You don’t know my mum and what she’s capable of.”
And devoted Bianca remains at Maria’s side constantly as she continues to undergo intensive treatment at the Mount Wilga Rehabilitation Hospital in Sydney, learning how to walk, talk and, yes, sing again. Her speech is still affected, but it brought everyone to tears when Maria sang Feeling Good with her physiotherapist.
To celebrate her remarkable progress, Variety – the charity for which Maria has raised millions of dollars during her career – presented the much loved entertainer with a custommade wheelchair sparkling with sequins and covered in her signature leopard print, which left her crying tears of joy.
Bianca, 37, says hopefully the stylish new wheelchair will help get her mum back on the red carpet as she continues to undergo rehab and build a new life nine months after suffering significant bleeding in her brain.
She did not elaborate on what happened to the 38-year-old stalker who was seen at Maria’s home at the time of the stroke.