Being a stuntman wrecked my knees
The EastEnders actor tells ROZ LEWIS about the replacement joint operations keeping him on his feet at 85
TO MILLIONS of viewers he is best known as the easygoing cabbie Charlie Slater in EastEnders. But before Derek Martin became an actor he had enjoyed an altogether more action-packed career as a stuntman.
But years of falling off horses and throwing punches in fight scenes took their toll on his body and after breaking his collarbone during the filming of the acclaimed BBC drama Elizabeth R, starring Glenda Jackson, Derek decided to switch to a less risky profession.
“I did a lot of stunt work earlier on in my career which may have contributed to my knee problems,” explains Derek, from his home in Hertfordshire where he lives with one of his adopted sons, David, 39.
“I had fallen off horses and done fight scenes. I also loved playing golf and going to the gym.”
But his knee problems continued to trouble him throughout the years and eventually he was advised by doctors that he would need knee replacement surgery, the first of which took place in 2010.
By then he was playing Charlie in EastEnders, a role which he played on and off until the character was finally killed off in 2016.
“My knees had been achy and painful for a while when I was on EastEnders,” he says. “I had pain due to wear and tear and had to take painkillers and corticosteroid injections to keep me going.
“As I couldn’t put off the surgery it was decided my character would also have knee problems to accommodate my recovery. I went to the Priory Hospital in Birmingham to have a full left knee replacement.
“I was 76 and that was the first time I had been in hospital since I broke my collarbone when working as a stuntman in 1971. I went back to the EastEnders set on crutches too. A year later, as the pain continued to be bad in the other joint, I also had the right knee replaced.”
According to Arthritis Research UK, 49.1 per cent of primary knee replacements in 2016 were carried out on people over 70. The most common reason for this type of operation is osteoarthritis, where the cartilage is worn away, causing the joint to become stiff and painful.
KNEE replacement surgery involves replacing the worn-out joint. Sometimes a partial knee replacement is offered when only one side of the joint is replaced.
“A year after the second operation I took part in Celebrity Coach Trip with actor John Altman on my new knees and we won. Everything was going fine until February 2015 when I had a fall that really shook me badly,” recalls Derek.
“I was at home and stepped outside to put something in the dustbin but tripped on the front doorstep. I fell heavily and smashed my right hip. I remember our rescue dog came over and thought I wanted to play ball with her. I was in agony. Luckily for me both my sons were around that week (Jonathan is based in Mallorca) and David rang the emergency services straight away. Within minutes the ambulance arrived and I was given oxygen before being whisked off to A&E. “The surgeon, after asking me what sort of work I did and how active I was, then decided to book me in for a full hip replacement the next day as I was so keen to carry on with my sporting activities. “Being wheeled down for the X-rays was painful as they had to turn me on my side and I didn’t sleep very much the night before the operation because of the pain.” According to the National Hip Fracture Database more than 65,000 over-60s were hospitalised with a hip fracture in 2017 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. A hip replacement operation involves replacing the worn-out joint with an artificial one. The Duke of Edinburgh is currently recovering from a hip operation aged 96.
“I have nothing but praise for the way I was treated and indeed my son David wrote to congratulate the ambulance service on its prompt arrival,” says Derek.
AND he adds: “I was on a ward for a few days while I recovered. A few of the nurses did recognise me as the actor who had been on EastEnders but the surgeon didn’t so I can’t say I had special treatment because I was an actor on the telly.
“I spent a few weeks on crutches and had physiotherapy but all went well. I managed to return to my active life without any problems.”
When it comes to his health Derek says he has very few vices. “I never smoked for pleasure,” he says. “I had to a couple of times for work but that was that.
“And I have never liked the taste of beer or spirits. Now occasionally I’ll have a glass of wine when eating out in a nice restaurant but that’s all. My mum lived to be 86 although my dad passed away when he was 68 due to a stroke.”
Derek adds: “I can sort of feel my knee replacements but I can’t feel the artificial hip joint at all. I play golf off a handicap of 20, I swim four days a week and I go to the gym as well. Plus I walk the dog.
“I want to keep as well as possible for as long as possible because there is still so much I want to do. I turned 85 earlier this month but I don’t feel my age.
“It is amazing how the years have flown by.”