Andrew underwent emergency surgery and spent weeks in intensive care
Andrew Jenkins with his former physiotherapist, Clare Ford (Image: Swansea Bay University Health Board)
A former contestant of BBC’s The Traitors, Andrew Jenkins, has opened up about a crash that left him with life-changing injuries. At the age of 21, the Welsh star was involved in a serious crash that caused severe brain injuries.
The Talbot Green-born contestant in the second series of The Traitors spent four weeks in a coma with a shattered skull and a serious arm injury requiring reconstructive surgery.
Recalling the crash, which happened 26 years ago, Andrew said emergency service responders initially thought he was dead.
He said: “My wheel hit the kerb and the car flipped onto its side. I was thrown through the driver’s window and dragged along the road. When emergency services arrived, they initially thought I had died.”
Andrew was transferred to Morriston Hospital where he was treated at the specialist centre for neurosurgery and plastic surgery. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
“It was very touch and go. While all this was going on, a police officer knocked on my parents’ door to tell them what had happened. My mother says she remembers that night every single day,” he said.
Andrew underwent emergency surgery and spent weeks in intensive care fighting for his life.
More recently, Andrew returned to the hospital in Swansea to meet Clare Ford, the physiotherapist who “saved his life” and played a key role in his rehabilitation where he learnt to walk and use his injured arm again.
Describing the visit as highly emotional, Andrew, said: “It was quite surreal walking back up the hill into the hospital. It’s a really special place for me. It’s where my life was saved. The people who cared for me, like Clare, are very important to me and I wanted to come back and say thank you.
“It’s been 26 years since I was last here. I’ve got lots of memories, some happy and some very difficult. When I woke up from the coma, I didn’t know where I was or what had happened. My family had been told there was a strong chance I’d never recognise them, walk, talk or use my arms and legs again.
“One of the first things I said was that I’d walk out of hospital, and that’s exactly what I did.”
Before the accident Andrew dreamed of playing rugby for his country but that dream was taken away. Not only ending his sporting dreams, the crash left the now 47-year-old struggling with his identity, confidence and self-worth.
Reflecting on his return to Morriston, Andrew added: “The people who cared for me here changed my life. Coming back to thank them and seeing Clare again after all these years means a huge amount to me.”
