Claire Sweeney severed a nerve during a bloody on-stage accident.
Claire Sweeney
The 49-year-old actress had been performing in a one-woman production of 'Shirley Valentine' at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham before theatres were shut due to the coronavirus pandemic, and she suffered a scary injury while she was cutting a potato.
Appearing on the 'Keep Calm and Kerry on' podcast, she said: "I looked down and the potato was red - I could see the bone in my hand."
Immediately after the incident, Claire - who is best known for playing Lindsey Corkhill in 'Brookside' - was treated backstage and finished the performance before heading to hospital.
She added: "I've still got no feeling in my little finger."
Claire - who suffered the injury in February - previously suggested she might have battled coronavirus earlier in the year, when she was hospitalised and left needing a respirator to help with her breathing.
She said: "I ended up on a ventilator in hospital in January, with the same symptoms as Covid-19.
"I had a high fever, chest pains, raging sore throat and my lungs were rattling. I needed a respirator to help me breathe and I was very scared - it was nothing like I'd ever had in my life, and it knocked me off my feet."
The former soap star was keen to know for certain whether she was or wasn't battling coronavirus.
She explained: "Afterwards, I was so fragile it took me a month to get over it. I don't want to be ill like that again, it frightened me so much."
Since 'Brookside' ended in 2003, Claire has forged an impressive stage career, including playing Adelaide in 'Guys and Dolls' on the West End - and on tour - and also taking on the role of Roxie Hart in 'Chicago'.
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