Sir Brian May's wife reveals major update on star's health after terrifying stroke

Sir Brian May has 'stabilised' after suffering a minor stroke, and will holiday in Lapland for Christmas now he is no longer 'grounded' by medics, says wife Anita Dobson

Sir Brian May’s condition has “stabilised” since he suffered a “scary” stroke, and he is now back playing piano and guitar with the arm he lost movement in, wife Anita Dobson has revealed.

Queen star Brian, 77, said in September that “out of the blue” he suddenly lost control of his left arm, and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, where he was subsequently diagnosed as having had a stroke.

“He’s much better now, he’s stabilised now, which is brilliant,” says wife Anita, 75. “I just hope we don’t have any more reoccurrences. He’s got the use of that arm, which was a bit of a challenge, back now. So, yeah, he’s good to go now. He’s playing the piano quite a lot in the house. He likes a lot of Beethoven. I love it - the piano in the house is really, just very relaxing.”

Brian revealed in September that he had suffered a “minor stroke” which he admitted was “scary”, as he was taken to Frimley Hospital in Surrey “blue lights flashing, the lot - very exciting”.

A week after the “health hiccup”, as he called it, he confirmed that he could play guitar again, after realising he “did not have any control of one arm”. Now, Eastenders actress Anita, who played Angie Watts in the soap, says Brian gave himself a bit of time before he attempted to play anything at all.

“He didn’t actually try until after he’d recovered quite a bit,” she says, speaking at the TRIC Christmas Lunch, where she was honoured as a Legend and given an award.

“And then he very slowly started to pick up an acoustic guitar and gradually just exercise the muscles. And it very quickly came back. He’s just retraining the messages from your brain to that arm, that it’s actually okay to do what it used to do. It was scary. And also being a genius for someone like that. His brain’s overloaded, that’s what it is. He’s too clever for his own good.”

Brian said at the time he had been “grounded”, explaining: “I’m not allowed to go out - well, I’m not allowed to drive, not allowed to get on a plane, not allowed to raise the heart rate too high.” But he is now allowed to have excitement in life again, and he and Anita will travel to Lapland this month to “meet the elves” for Christmas.

The couple celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary a fortnight ago, and Brian mused during their celebrations: “Take care out there folks and Carpe Diem ! Because tomorrow ... who knows where the wind might blow.”

Anita has three step-children with Brian, whose mum was the rocker’s first wife Christine Mullen. In 2020, Brian also suffered a heart attack, and fears he “could have died” at the time, having initially thought he had simply suffered a gardening injury.

He subsequently had his heart fitted with three stents, which are tiny tubes that hold open blocked arteries, which helped him recover. Speaking in September about his “minor stroke”, he requested fans not contact him with well-wishes. “I really don’t want sympathy,” he said. “Please don’t do that because it’ll clutter up my inbox and I hate that.”

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