EastEnders star Sid Owen shared photos of his face this week, detailing the damage caused by his golf accident earlier this year.
The 48-year-old was hit in the jaw when a golfball bounced off a tree, hitting him in the jaw during a relaxing holiday in Thailand.
Since the incident, which occurred on January 17, the former soap star has been confined to a Thai hotel, as doctors work to fix his jaw and replace his missing teeth.
Doctors informed Sid that he had a lucky escape, as the golf ball would have killed him if it had struck his face two inches higher.
Sharing pictures of the horrific injury, the actor – who played Ricky Butcher on EastEnders until 2012 – could be seen with a huge gap between his teeth on one side of his mouth.
He told The Sun: “I remember seeing two teeth fly straight out of my mouth but it turned out to be a fracture in my face and a broken jaw, along with another tooth embedded into my jaw.”
An errant golf ball struck Sid across the face while on holiday in Thailand (Image: The Sun / News Licensing)
Branding the last few weeks as “hell,” the Londoner detailed the traumatic medical procedures he has endured.
He said: “I had to have a bone graft, followed by several rounds of dental surgery because it was too much damage to try to treat it all at once.”
“It has just been five weeks of hell, total hell. I came here for a detox to relax, as I have been doing sober for January annually for 20 years, and I was nearly ready to come home when it happened.”
Sid’s teeth were shattered on the left side of his face in the collision (Image: The Sun / News Licensing)
Sid revealed he is waiting on further results from doctors, following a series of brain scans and x-rays after the accident.
Describing the “dark period” he has spent in the hospital, the actor opened up about the staggering medical bills he has been faced with in recent weeks.
With mounting hospital costs and further surgeries ahead, his acting career has taken a major hit, as he misses out on auditions in an effort to recover.
Sid left EastEnders as fan favourite Ricky Butcher back in 2012 (Image: BBC)
He explained: “I’m having to pay it myself at the moment and it is costing a lot of money just for hospital bills, dental bills, accommodation – and I’ve had to pay for an extension for my visa.
“But I don’t want to have dentures for the rest of my life, f*** that.
“I don’t really know anyone out here now, so I’m stuck totally on my own. It’s depressing, especially when you can’t sleep because of the pain.
Sid admitted he couldn’t sleep or eat due to the overwhelming pain (Image: The Sun / News Licensing)
“So you just lie awake thinking about it and feeling isolated and very low. It has been a very dark period.”
With his jaw under immense strain, Sid has struggled to eat, meaning he has shed almost two stone in a matter of weeks.
Luckily, his friends have offered support from afar, helping to keep his spirits raised throughout the traumatic ordeal.
Sid praised his friends abroad for their ongoing support (Image: The Sun / News Licensing)
He said: “I’m lucky to have loads of friends all over the world, and they have been amazing, they give me advice every day. But it’s not the same as having your close friends and family with you.
“I’m pretty well connected but it’s not helping me now, they’re not in f***ing Thailand!”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
