X Factor winner Myles Stephenson has revealed he was rushed to hospital after suffering a serious sports injury that will take months to heal.
The 33-year-old singer, who won the ITV competition in 2017 with R&B group Rak-Su, shared a photo from hospital to social media, which showed his foot and leg bandaged up following the incident.
Stephenson explained he’d “ruptured his Achilles” while playing football. The tendon, which connects the muscles in the back of the calf to the heal bone, is the most commonly torn tendon in the body.
Most tears are due to trauma or accidents while playing sports. High performance athletes, such as Tiger Woods, often require surgery after the injury. Non-athletes can often recover from Achilles tendon tears through non-surgical treatments, wearing a brace to immobilise the affected foot and physical therapy.
“Only gone and ruptured my Achilles haven’t I,” Stephenson told his fans of his injury on Instagram. “I’ve realised how stressful the next few months are going to be on crutches. Work, family, simple things like tidying [and] washing. I am not looking forward to it.”
The singer has two young children, Shiloh, three, and Sahara, two, who he shares with his wife Keli Hall. Shiloh suffers from Hemiplegic cerebral palsy – a form of cerebral palsy where one side of the body is affected by movement and coordination issues.
The three-year-old had a stroke last year that caused irreversible damage to his brain, after showing some “warning signs” at just six months old.
Possible signs of cerebral palsy in children include delays in development milestones, such as not sitting by eight months or not walking by 18 months, floppy or clumsy movements, weak arms of legs, muscle spasms, uncontrolled movements, shaking hands and walking on tiptoes, according to the NHS.
“It wasn't being told that your son won't be the next Messi or Ronaldo that hurt,” Stephenson said of his child’s diagnosis. “It was the thought that doing his laces, spinning spaghetti on a spoon or playing certain games with friends might be a challenge for him. The small things.”
Meanwhile, in January Stephenson’s daughter Sahara was taken to hospital after suffering a Febrile seizure, which can sometimes occur when a child has a high temperature, according to the NHS. The singer said at the time his then-two-year-old “stopped breathing” and “turned blue” when the convulsion took place.
“Single handedly the scariest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said. “Her temperature spiked causing a seizure. For any parents with young children please look up Febrile Seizures and research. It will not only help your child but also you if it should ever happen, especially during flu season.”
