Dave Benson Phillips has opened up about a frightening health battle that at one point left him unable to walk.
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The 61-year-old children's television star is best known for hosting the hugely popular CBBC show Get Your Own Back throughout the 1990s.
Phillips revealed that he first noticed something was seriously wrong while performing in a pantomime production of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Children's TV Star Opens up on "Painful" Health Scare
Speaking to The Sun, Phillips said he began experiencing a "tingling" sensation in his legs before gradually losing mobility.
"It was very slow, but it was very painful," he said. "It was quite scary."
The presenter explained that previous blood tests had already revealed he was prediabetic.
However, around a decade ago, his condition worsened significantly.
"At one point for a week or so, I couldn't walk," he added.
Doctors later diagnosed Phillips with Type 2 Diabetes and prescribed medication to help lower his blood sugar levels.
Then, in 2020, the TV personality faced another major health scare when he suffered a heart attack.
"I was just posting a birthday card one night," he recalled. "It was like somebody had got a spiky nailed shoe and pushed it into my chest. It was a real wake-up call."
Dave Benson Phillips Says Diagnosis Changed His Lifestyle
At the time of the heart attack, Phillips said he weighed 19 stone.
He has since lost seven stone by improving his diet and becoming more active.
The former children's presenter now wears a glucose monitor, which he says "takes away the guess work" when managing his condition.
Phillips has decided to share his experience publicly in the hope of encouraging others to pay closer attention to their health and diet, especially those 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 continued.
"But having diabetes made me aware of making good decisions about my lifestyle. I want to be around for as long as possible."
Get Your Own Back aired 190 episodes across 14 series between 1991 and 2003 with Phillips as host.
He also presented Playhouse Disney between 1998 and 2006, along with Fun Song Factory from 1994 to 1999.
Since 2012, Phillips has also co-hosted Let's Rock The Moor! alongside Pat Sharp and has appeared as a panelist on Big Brother's Bit on the Side.
