Gavin and Stacey's Alison Steadman says 'the important thing is that I’m alive' after Dubai fall
The TV star is in the process of recovering after the incident
Alison Steadman has opened up about a recent fall during her trip to Dubai earlier this year. The Gavin and Stacey actress is known for playing the role of Pam Shipman on BBC's hit comedy series.
The 78-year-old was having dinner in the Dubai desert when she tripped and fell, leaving her seriously injured. She admitted she feels lucky to be alive.
She told the Daily Star: "I knew when I fell that it was serious. The pain was so bad. If I’d banged my head the way I banged my foot, I promise you, I would not be here. Every time I get fed up, I say that to myself. The important thing is that I’m alive."
It has since been revealed that Alison suffered a fracture and is currently dependent on a wheelchair. She explained she has put her life on hold and been forced to turn down acting jobs due to the injury.
She said: "I’ve been in a wheelchair for eight weeks. I am getting a bit frustrated. I want to get out and about more. But it means I can get around my flat. I can move around. Otherwise I’d be in bed or sitting in a chair and I don’t want that."
Alison is still trying to live her life as normal as she attended the opening night of new musical Midnight Cowboy at Southwark Playhouse in London on Thursday, alongside her partner Michael Elwyn, 82.
Staff at Whittington Hospital in north London are treating the TV star, but it’s going to take weeks for her to get back to normal. Alison said: "I had my leg in a cast for six weeks. Now I’m in a boot for six weeks and at the end of that I should be able to start to walk with crutches.
"Then I’ve got to have another operation to take the metal plates and the screws out of my foot. I hope I’ll be back on my feet soon. In a month’s time hopefully I will be up walking on crutches."
The Liverpool-born actress, known for her role in Gavin and Stacey and 'Fat Friends', described the incident at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature earlier this year. She said: "There were beautiful seats laid out and a buffet. I went to get some pudding. I was walking along a concrete walkway that was not 100 per cent smooth.
"I tripped and it felt like I went up in the air about 5ft and then just crashed down on concrete. It was absolutely horrible. I landed on this foot and this hand and was in absolute agony."
Alison reprised her role as Pam Shipman in the recent 'Gavin and Stacey' finale over Christmas. She found out that the show's creators Ruth Jones and James Corden wrote the character Pam especially for her after they worked with her on ITV series 'Fat Friends'. She previously admitted it has been one of the highlights of her illustrious acting career.
Appearing on ITV's 'Loose Women' in December, she said: "I feel so lucky that I worked with Ruth and James on 'Fat Friends' years ago. They decided to write the series and wrote that part of Pamela for me. I was so thrilled. She's such a great character to dive into."
She added: "It was brilliant, it was wonderful, we do feel like a big family - 17 years ago, was the first series. It was so good to be back together, we were all chatting and hugging each other."