“Behind the Laughter: Gavin and Stacey’s Larry Lamb Reveals a Shocking Health Battle That Left Him ‘Feeling Like He’s Dying'”

Just when we thought the laughter from Gavin and Stacey would continue to echo through the halls of British comedy, one of its beloved stars, Larry Lamb, hit us with a real plot twist that nobody saw coming—he felt like he was “dying” thanks to a “hellish” medical condition. You’d think after wrapping up such a heartfelt series, Lamb would kick back with a pint and reminisce about the good ol’ days. Instead, it seems like he was cast in an unwanted sequel to his own life—dealing with an unexpected health crisis. Known for his charm as Mick Shipman, the character has been a staple in UK homes since 2007, and now, reportedly facing a daunting struggle as he recovers from a serious ailment that has left him with permanent disabilities. Grab your tea and settle in, because this story is as emotional as it is surprising! You can read more about this unfolding saga in the full article. LEARN MORE.

Just weeks after Gavin and Stacey wrapped filming for its final ever episode, one of the main characters from the show revealed he was left ‘feeling like he was dying’ due to a ‘hellish’ medical condition.

Larry Lamb is known in millions of households across the United Kingdom for starring as Mick Shipman in Gavin and Stacey across its three seasons and three Christmas specials.

Returning to the role for its final ever episode on Christmas Day 2024, more than 12 million people watched it on the night making it the most watched TV programme on 25 December for a decade.

Set five years after the last Xmas special, in which Nessa was left on one knee after proposing to Smithy, it caught up on what was happening half a decade later.

A perfect feature length episode of television, it has been hailed as an ideal ending to the show that has been in our lives since 2007.

Aged 77, Lamb played Gavin’s dad, Mick, across all the seasons and episodes.

But with filming wrapping in October, he revealed he was struck down by an awful ailment that has left him permanently disabled.

Larry Lamb as Mick Shipman in Gavin and Stacey (BBC)

The former EastEnders star said he was left feeling ‘like he was dying’ during the bout of illness that left him seriously unwell.

Weeks after filming for the Gavin and Stacey finale wrapped, he flew out to Senegal for a trip to help publicise some of the worst poverty in the world that children in the country are enduring.

But after returning to the UK, Lamb was left fighting a brutal infection across his body.

Wiping him out, it reached his ears and as a result, has caused him to be completely deaf in one of them.

Mick’s big moment in the final episode (BBC)

“It’s been catastrophic. I’m famous for never being ill,” Lamb said.

“But I went in to complete physical meltdown.

“At one point I felt like I was dying. But the real shock was when I realised I couldn’t hear properly.”

He’s been left with significant deafness (Ferdaus Shamim/WireImage)

Suspicion is that Lamb’s infection and hearing loss was caused by malaria, with the actor saying: “We were in and out within a week. Back home in north London I felt fine, so stopped taking the Malarone pills [malaria treatment].

“I’d been told I should take them for eight days after leaving Senegal, but didn’t understand why as I was completely well. But about three days later I began to feel ill. It was like the worst hangover I’d ever had.

“For a few days I had a fever which caused me to sweat and then cool again. I couldn’t sleep – I didn’t have the strength to do anything.”

Lamb has been left completely deaf in his right ear with mild hearing loss in his left.