Former Labour MP Jon Ashworth reveals he suffered major stroke and urges public to get health checks
Former Labor MP Jon Ashworth has revealed he suffered a massive stroke at the beginning of the year.
Urging people to take part in health checks that could reveal underlying medical conditions, the former Labor leader said: Independent He is now “recovering” after a stroke-triggering blood clot.
Mr Ashworth said: “It was a bolt of lightning but thankfully I’m recovering.”
The 47-year-old explained that his stroke was “completely unexpected” and added that he was not aware he had “such high blood pressure” despite having “never smoked and not run much”.
He also suggested Westminster’s “high-pressure” environment may have played a role in the sudden stroke.
Mr Ashworth, who lost his Leicester South seat to an independent candidate in Gaza in 2024 when Labor returned to power after 14 years, suffered a stroke on New Year’s Day, leaving him with stiffness in his left arm and loss of vision in his left eye.
In an interview with Mirror He said he was always too busy to go to free GP health checks and was now urging others to accept invitations.
He said: “I had a blood clot which restricted blood and oxygen getting to me. “It was really high blood pressure that caused my stroke.
“When I got the message from the local GP saying you needed a check-up, I said, ‘I’m too busy’ and kept postponing the check-up. My message to your readers is to make sure you keep your blood pressure under control.”
The charity Stroke Association has warned that someone in the UK will have a stroke every three and a half minutes by 2035. Currently the rate is on average every five minutes.
The charity is calling for urgent action to tackle the health time bomb caused by a range of factors including diet, stress and other lifestyle issues.
Mr Ashworth said: “We really need to expand access to blood pressure support so people can get their checks and take blood pressure seriously.
“We need 24/7 access to all stroke sites on the NHS for a procedure called thrombectomy.” [which removes blood clots from blocked arteries and veins]. “We need to see investment in stroke services that help people get their blood pressure controlled and ensure the rehabilitation needed is also appropriately supported.”
Mr. Ashworth was planning to run a double marathon for the National Association for Children of Alcoholics when he had his stroke.
Now, as he continues to recover, he hopes to run a half marathon for them in the fall for charity.
He said: “They must have thought I was eccentric in hospital because I was working on Shakespeare monologues because I wanted to reassure myself that I could still talk and memorize things.
“I’ve been doing a lot of physical rehab, trying to move my arm and putting two pennies on it. My two daughters love Wicked, so I’m building Wicked-themed Lego to help my arm.”
