British pop icon Paul Young has opened up about a harrowing experience during a holiday in Santorini, where he suffered a severe leg fracture and had to wait nine hours for medical attention in a local hospital.
The 69-year-old musician, famous for hits like Love of the Common People and Wherever I Lay My Hat, required three emergency blood transfusions following the accident.
Young was in Santorini in September 2024 when he fell down a flight of stairs at his hotel while heading to breakfast. Describing the moment, he said his leg “slipped out from underneath me,” causing him to crash down three or four steps. “It was a multi-fracture,” Young recalled. “When I came to a stop, I looked down and my leg was in a slightly weird position, underneath my bottom. I thought, ‘I don’t like that. My leg shouldn’t be like that.’”
His wife, Lorna, 53, immediately sought help, and Young was rushed to a local hospital. However, due to a shortage of available surgeons, he was left waiting on a gurney for nine hours while in excruciating pain.
“The only medication they had was paracetamol. I was screaming out all the time and most of the time I had my eyes shut because the pain was terrible,” Young told The Mirror. His injuries were so severe that doctors feared his leg might snap.
With limited options in Santorini, Young arranged a private flight to Athens, where he underwent emergency surgery. Due to excessive blood loss, he spent two days in intensive care and required three blood transfusions. A second 10-hour operation followed to repair the extensive fractures.
Nearly six months after the accident, Young is on the mend, no longer reliant on crutches, and undergoing physiotherapy and hydrotherapy to aid his recovery. Looking ahead, the singer is preparing for his upcoming national tour and reassured fans that he is now “fighting fit and ready.”
Young married his wife Lorna in October 2023, six years after losing his first wife, Stacey Smith, to brain cancer. The couple had three children together: daughters Levi and Layla, and son Grady Cole. Reflecting on Stacey’s passing, Young previously shared that he had neglected his own health while caring for her but has since regained focus on his well-being.
Despite the traumatic ordeal, Young remains positive about his recovery and is eager to return to the stage, proving that his passion for music remains as strong as ever.
(Source: The Independent)
