Legendary kids TV star reveals ‘frightening’ health battle left him unable to walk

A children’s TV presenter has revealed his ‘very painful’ health battle that left him unable to walk.

Dave Benson Phillips, 61, who is best known for hosting the CBBC game show Get Your Own Back, said he first noticed something was seriously wrong when he was performing in a panto on stage.

The BBC star recounted the ‘scary’ experience during his stint in Jack And The Beanstalk.

‘I began getting tingling in my legs and to lose mobility. It was very slow, but it was very painful. It was quite scary,’ he told The Sun.

Known as the ‘godfather of gunge’ throughout the 90s, Dave said he had known he was prediabetic due to routine blood tests – a condition that affects one in nine Brits.

But despite thinking that he was never going to develop full-blown diabetes, Dave said his condition worsened around 10 years ago.

‘At one point for a week or so, I couldn’t walk,’ he continued.

At the hospital, he was given a confirmed diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, which is when insulin doesn’t work properly in the body and the level of glucose becomes too high.

The TV star then began to take medication to lower his blood sugar levels and managed his condition with a better diet.

However, in 2020 Dave described the moment he suffered a minor heart attack: ‘I was just posting a birthday card one night.

‘It was like somebody had got a spiky nailed shoe and pushed it into my chest. It was a real wake-up call.’

At the time, Dave weighed 19 stone but was able to lose a whopping seven stone due to a combination of his new diet and walking.

To keep track of his diabetes, Dave now wears a glucose monitor that ‘takes away all the guess work’.

The 61-year-old also urged people to watch their diet and lose their diet, especially if they’ve been diagnosed with prediabetes.

‘I’ve had a real battle. I don’t like the fact that there’s things I’ve had to give up,’ he added.

‘But having diabetes made me aware of making good decisions about my lifestyle. I want to be around for as long as possible.’

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