Almost killed by spider bite Venom puts dad Jordan in hospital for days
Hospital treatment for sick Street star Malc
CORRIE favourite Malcolm Hebden is recovering after being taken ill.
The actor, who plays busybody Norris Cole, required treatment in hospital. It comes six years after another incident when he was taken to hospital.
On that occasion, the 78-yearold was checked over by studio medical staff before being sent to A&E for tests. But he was back on set within hours.
Malcolm first appeared in Coronation Street in 1974, playing Mavis Riley’s Spanish boyfriend Carlos. He reappeared in 1994 as DAD Jordan Rassas was left coughing up blood and close to death – after being bitten in bed by a spider.
When the bite woke him at 6am, Jordan, 24, flicked the false widow off his arm and went back to sleep. But he suffered a rare allergic reaction to its venom, and watched in horror as his elbow began to swell.
Energy consultant Jordan said: “It had felt like an injection in my arm. I thought nothing of it. By three in the afternoon it was looking like a ping-pong ball.
“It was getting bigger every hour. At 10pm I was feeling groggy. I thought about going to A&E, but it was a Saturday night with Christmas coming up… I couldn’t think of anything worse.”
At 2am Jordan went to pick up a friend from a party – and had to pull the car over as he was coughing up blood.
He said: “When my friend got in they said, ‘Get to hospital now’. I was so bad I couldn’t tell reception what happened.
“Within seconds I was on a bed with syringes and needles in my arteries. They cut my T-shirt off and had a defib team ready.” Jordan – who has a daughter and son aged two and six – spent the next nine days in hospital. He said: “My arm kept getting bigger and bigger. They said if it kept going they might amputate.
SHOULDER
“They drew a dotted line above the elbow and said if the infection passed that they’d be worried. The line kept getting further and further up my arm – then around my shoulder. I thought I was going to die.”
After five days doctors decided to operate. He said: “They opened me up and took samples. They had to dislocate my elbow. I was in horrendous pain.”
Once he finally responded to antibiotics medics revealed they had been so worried they had a high dependency bed on standby.
He said: “They thought the infection could spread to my lungs, heart and liver, causing them to shut down.
“The NHS was amazing. They were honest they’d never dealt with anything like that before and were ringing experts as far away as Australia.”
The false widow is the UK’s most venomous spider, although its bite usually causes only pain and slight swelling. Jordan had earlier spotted the creature at his home in Blackpool, Lancs, and asked his brother to get rid of it.
He said: “He refused, saying it was cruel. He must have felt guilty afterwards – he kept bringing me KFC in hospital.” Norris Cole, but gave up the role in 1997 before returning in 1999.
He became owner of Corrie’s famous Kabin in 2009, and has won several soap awards along the way.