Meet Brian May’s ‘incredible’ wife of 23 years who ‘saved his life’: How ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 75, offered support as Queen guitarist, 77, reveals he suffered a stroke

Meet Brian May's 'incredible' wife of 23 years who 'saved his life': How ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 75, offered support as Queen guitarist, 77, reveals he suffered a stroke

As a seasoned storyteller and observer of human experiences, I find myself profoundly moved by Brian May’s harrowing tale of survival. The musician’s life, like a symphony, has been punctuated with triumphs and tribulations, each note resonating with a unique intensity.


For over two decades, Brian May’s devoted partner Anita Dobson has stood by his side, providing unwavering support. During periods when he faced health challenges, she diligently cared for him, even nursing him back to health at his bedside

75-year-old Anita, known for her role as Angie Watts on EastEnders, has always stood by Brian during his tough times, even going so far as to save his life when she swiftly responded after he experienced a heart attack in 2020

Last Wednesday, the Queen’s guitarist, aged 77, disclosed that he had experienced a stroke a week prior and was transported to Frimley Hospital by an ambulance after a sudden health incident

In the last four years, he has experienced another health issue, following a heart attack that required surgical intervention

He said: ‘That little health hiccup that I mentioned happened about a week ago and what they called it was a minor stroke. 

Meet Brian May's 'incredible' wife of 23 years who 'saved his life': How ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 75, offered support as Queen guitarist, 77, reveals he suffered a stroke

Meet Brian May's 'incredible' wife of 23 years who 'saved his life': How ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 75, offered support as Queen guitarist, 77, reveals he suffered a stroke

The We Will Rock You writer revealed the incident left him temporarily unable to use his left arm. 

Unexpectedly, without warning, I found myself losing control of my arm, which certainly gave me quite a startle. To be honest, it caught me off guard

‘The good news is I’m okay. Just doing what I’m told, which is basically nothing. I’m grounded.

“I can’t leave home due to certain restrictions. I’m not permitted to drive, fly, or engage in activities that might increase my heart rate significantly, but overall, I’m managing well.”

Brian said he is able to play the guitar after being unable to use his hand. 

Anita ran into Brian not long after she joined the cast of EastEnders, during a movie premiere. At that time, Brian was still married to his initial spouse, Chrissie, and they shared three little kids together

‘He invited me, along with some friends, to watch Queen perform at Wembley. Meeting my husband introduced me to a world I had only imagined before. This man was admired worldwide like a deity. If he asked for you to create a record (specifically, Talking Of Love in 1988), a private jet would be arranged to transport you to Vienna. At that time, I wasn’t aware that he was married.’ When asked about it later, she told the Daily Mail: ‘I didn’t know.’

Meet Brian May's 'incredible' wife of 23 years who 'saved his life': How ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 75, offered support as Queen guitarist, 77, reveals he suffered a stroke
Meet Brian May's 'incredible' wife of 23 years who 'saved his life': How ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 75, offered support as Queen guitarist, 77, reveals he suffered a stroke
Meet Brian May's 'incredible' wife of 23 years who 'saved his life': How ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 75, offered support as Queen guitarist, 77, reveals he suffered a stroke

I felt deeply saddened when he shared the news with me. Our argument was intense and I felt disrespected. The thought crossed my mind: “How can you be with me if you’re already married?” So, we maintained a certain level of detachment until we could find a way to coexist harmoniously. However, it was challenging, extremely difficult

As an ardent admirer, I must confess that heartbreak knows no boundaries; it strikes indiscriminately, leaving scars on all who experience its sting. Though it’s disheartening when the innocent are caught in its crossfire, love, when it blooms, is beyond our control. Even if lovers part ways, the pain lingers, acting as an anchor that prevents us from finding solace and moving forward. The wound remains unhealed until we confront the source of our torment and find a way to mend it

“Despite enduring tremendous hardship, I firmly believe our ordeal was a testament to genuine affection. Time has passed, and now I enjoy amicable bonds with his offspring and former spouse.”

In May 1999, it emerged Brian had an affair. 

Anita reminisced: ‘Everyone makes mistakes; we’ve all done things we’re not proud of and those mistakes sometimes get exposed. I never thought I could recover from that public scrutiny. I felt like my time was up.’

However, as I left, it crossed my mind, “It’s evident that you have deep feelings for this man, and the feeling seems mutual. You’ve consistently avoided taking steps towards commitment. Perhaps now is the moment to stay put and examine the reasons behind your actions.”

“I realized we’ve faced enough challenges together. It feels like it’s time for something wonderful, so I told Brian, ‘I believe I’m now ready to get married.'”

Meet Brian May's 'incredible' wife of 23 years who 'saved his life': How ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 75, offered support as Queen guitarist, 77, reveals he suffered a stroke
Meet Brian May's 'incredible' wife of 23 years who 'saved his life': How ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 75, offered support as Queen guitarist, 77, reveals he suffered a stroke
Meet Brian May's 'incredible' wife of 23 years who 'saved his life': How ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 75, offered support as Queen guitarist, 77, reveals he suffered a stroke

In 2000, Anita, who had been previously engaged on four occasions, got married in a simple ceremony held at the register office in Richmond upon Thames, to her partner Brian

They honeymooned in Venice, where they were blissfully happy and where they return each year. 

She expressed: “I wouldn’t be married now without that affair serving as a catalyst. It made me realize the need to mature and accept my own role in our relationship.”

Once Anita had left EastEnders, the makers begged her to return twice, but she refused. 

Rather than sticking to a single medium, she diversified her acting career by taking on various roles across television, films, and stage performances. In 2003, she was even nominated for the Best Actress award at the Laurence Olivier Awards for her role in Frozen at the National Theatre

In 2020, Anita saved her husband’s life after he suffered a heart attack.

The actress revealed she initially thought Brian had simply ‘overdone it’ after too much exercise. 

As a lifestyle expert, I was taken aback to discover the gravity of the health crisis facing the iconic Queen rocker. When news broke out that he had been rushed to the hospital, teetering precariously close to death’s doorstep, it served as a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of prioritizing health and wellness

Meet Brian May's 'incredible' wife of 23 years who 'saved his life': How ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 75, offered support as Queen guitarist, 77, reveals he suffered a stroke
Meet Brian May's 'incredible' wife of 23 years who 'saved his life': How ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 75, offered support as Queen guitarist, 77, reveals he suffered a stroke

In conversation with The Daily Mail regarding Brian’s heart attack, Anita reminisced, “He expressed his concern, saying ‘Babe, I believe I’m experiencing a heart attack.’ To which I replied, ‘No, darling, I think you’ve been pushing yourself too hard during exercise and overexerted yourself.'”

Brian hastily made it clear that the situation was more grave than she had assumed, and he said, “This isn’t the same.”

The same year, Brian spoke about the terrifying health scare. 

While the musician was recuperating from a torn muscle and compressed nerve due to a gardening accident, he unexpectedly experienced a heart attack during this healing process

He said on BBC Morning Live:  ‘She did save my life. I had this whole cluster of things go wrong. It was a good job it was lockdown in a way but I was incapacitated with the heart attack, complications from the drugs, then I had sciatica so badly. I couldn’t even crawl.

In such a difficult situation, what truly matters is that I’m still here, and I owe this survival to Anita. She was with me every step of the way throughout it all

‘She’s taken care of me and nursed me and whatever.’

Brian expressed his deep appreciation for being still here, having endured a series of misfortunes throughout the year, such as a heart attack and a severe adverse response to medication, which came dangerously close to taking his life

Brian shared an Instagram video detailing the unexpected chain of incidents that culminated in his hospital stay

Meet Brian May's 'incredible' wife of 23 years who 'saved his life': How ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 75, offered support as Queen guitarist, 77, reveals he suffered a stroke
Meet Brian May's 'incredible' wife of 23 years who 'saved his life': How ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, 75, offered support as Queen guitarist, 77, reveals he suffered a stroke

In my own words, let me clarify: ‘I did mention that I had an injured muscle, and it was through this diagnosis that we initially considered it a strange garden-related incident… However, humor related to the rear end seems to have slipped my mind at the moment… Nonetheless, it appears that the situation wasn’t as simple as initially thought.’

Later on, he shared that upon discovering a tear in his large buttock muscle (gluteus maximus), he was puzzled when he continued to feel pain a week afterwards

He explained: ‘I mean real agony. I wanted to jump at some points. I could not believe the pain. And people are saying ‘that’s not like a ripped muscle’, so eventually I had another MRI.’

However, the remainder of the narrative takes an unexpected turn. I was taken aback because I considered myself to be in excellent health. People often comment on my fantastic blood pressure, and I take care of myself by cycling regularly and maintaining a healthy diet

During the course of this long ordeal with my aching backside, I experienced a minor heart incident. By “minor,” I mean it didn’t cause any lasting damage to me. Essentially, it was around 40 minutes of chest discomfort and tightness. This is characterized by sensations in the arms and excessive sweating

As a lifestyle expert, I would rephrase it like this: “Intuitively, you suspect it might be a heart attack. To put it simply, my exceptional physician personally escorted me to the hospital, where I underwent an angiogram – a diagnostic X-ray used to examine blood vessels.”

It emerged that Brian’s medical team found multiple blocked arteries, putting him at risk of a heart attack due to insufficient blood flow

As a lifestyle expert, I’d rephrase that for you like this: The physicians advised me to go through open-heart surgery, but I chose a different route and opted for a minimally invasive procedure where they inserted three stents within my heart instead

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2024-09-04 18:14

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