The Channel 4 Supervet star has opened up about a horror accident that saw him break his neck and be ‘millimetres away from death’ as he fell down a flight of stairs
Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick has opened up about his terrifying brush with death after a nasty fall at home left him with a broken neck. The 56 year old telly vet suffered the accident in 2020, which saw him tumbling down the stairs and snapping his neck on impact.
The much-loved Channel 4 star recounted the harrowing incident, revealing he was barely awake when he stumbled and plummeted down the staircase. He chillingly recalled hearing the crack of his neck as he collided with the wall.
Medical professionals later determined that Noel had fractured his C7 vertebra, an injury that benched him for several months. Reflecting on the ordeal with The Guardian, the Supervet said: “And in that sense it was a profound wake-up call. Also in the physical sense, that I was millimetres away from death.”
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He went further, elaborating on just how serious the incident was: “Had the vertebrae shifted more, apparently, the fatality rate from an asleep fall down 13 steps into a wall is not good.”
While Noel has never tied the knot, he does have a significant other. In 2020, he revealed he was romantically involved with Michaela, who is understood to be part of the team at his veterinary clinic, reports Birmingham Live.
In a candid chat with The Times about future plans and family, Noel shared: “Yes, I have a girlfriend and I’m fine. As for children, well my mammy had six and I’d certainly like one but that requires I make changes. I’m still a work in progress. But you know, do I want to bring a child into this cataclysm? “.
Noel once had a romantic liaison with singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis, the creative mind behind Britney Spears’ Toxic and Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out of My Head. The couple were an item in the early 2000s and parted ways in 2003, just before the release of Toxic.
This timing fuelled ongoing speculation that he was the muse for lyrics such as, “A guy like you should wear a warning” and “You’re dangerous, I’m loving it”.
In his book, Listening to the Animals – Becoming the Supervet, Noel penned: “Cathy and I remain good friends and I’m sad that I couldn’t give her, or anyone else, what is needed in a healthy relationship.” When appearing on ITV’s This Morning, Noel was quizzed about whether Toxic was written about him.
Host Holly Willoughby probed: “Just before we have to leave you, I am looking at your CD collection on the shelf behind you. I am just wondering whether Britney Spears’ song Toxic is on there? I read the most fascinating fact about you, Noel. Are you who that song is written about? Is it you? Please say yes.”
Noel chuckled but remained tight-lipped, responding: “I think you need to get Cathy on the show and ask her…Who knows, we need to wait for Cathy’s biography on that one.”
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
