Ex athlete and TV personality Iwan Thomas has shared a heartfelt update after his five-year-old son, Teddy, was rushed to hospital following an accident.
Strictly Come Dancing star Iwan Thomas had to take his five-year-old son to hospital after an accident.
The retired Olympic sprinter, 51, competed on the BBC One hit back in 2015, where he danced with former show pro Ola Jordan. It was Wanted singer Jay McGuinness who ended up winning the series.
Iwan has now revealed his eldest son, Teddy, had to be rushed to A&E after breaking his arm. He posted a picture of Teddy recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery for it. Brave Teddy could be seen with his arm wrapped in a sling and was in good spirits despite the accident as he managed a smile.
Iwan was quick to praise his boy for how he dealt with the accident. “We couldn’t be prouder of Teddy,” he wrote. “He’s already faced so many challenges in his young life, and now this – yet he never complains. He just carries on, showing nothing but kindness and love to those around him.
“Children have an extraordinary ability to bounce back, and their strength humbles me every single day. Teddy, you inspire me to be a better person. Thank you for all the lovely messages of support.”
Iwan’s fans rushed to the comments to wish Teddy a speedy recovery. “You got a proper tough little soldier on your hands there my brother wishing him a speedy recovery,” one wrote. “Oh the poor little love, I hope he recovers fast.”
Another added: “Teddy is a little champion, hope he is safe and well now.” A third penned: “Awh bless his little soul. What a brave little boy.”
This isn’t the first time Iwan’s eldest has faced a health scare. In 2018, Iwan revealed that his son had been taken into intensive care with a severe breathing difficulty, just hours after he was born.
Teddy was diagnosed with Group B Streptococcus, a common bacterial infection. He spent the first ten days of his life at the hospital before making a full recovery.
Iwan and wife, Anna, are parents to Teddy and two younger boys-three-year-old Dougie and one-year-old Bowie. Iwan retired from athletics in 2006 due to injury, and has made numerous appearances on reality television since.
The sprinter, who won silver at the Atlanta games in 1996, was the first celeb to be eliminated from Strictly in 2015. However, he has appeared on several other TV shows, such as ITV’s Through the Keyhole, Celebrity MasterChef, Total Wipeout, The Real Hustle, and the BBC’s quiz show Eggheads.
Last year, he discussed his mental health struggles and suicidal thoughts and said opening up to Prince Harry really helped him. The athlete suffered from a serious bout of depression, admitted he struggled to get out of bed and felt “numb”.
Thomas, who is now a mental health advocate, broke the British 400m record and held it for 25 years. Discussing how his life changed, he said: “Breaking that record, everything happened really quickly for me but also everything was taken away quickly.
“All sorts were coming my way, a Madame Tussauds’ waxwork, MBE, accolades left right and centre. I thought, ‘This is cool, I’ll have years left in me yet’. The reality was that that was as good as it was ever going to get.”
In 2016, he met Prince Harry at a Heads Together event, the mental health initiative set up alongside Prince William and Princess Kate. “It was the weirdest thing. I was there flipping burgers with Prince Harry,” he said.
Revealing how he learned to open up after talking to Prince Harry, he went on: “I hadn’t ever really spoken about depression or dark times. I suddenly just opened up to him. It was very bizarre but because he was a stranger I felt I could talk to him. He’s been through so much himself, it was easy to talk to him. It opened that tin and allowed me to talk to other people.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
