Welsh Traitors star returns to thank hospital team who saved his life

Nation.Cymru staff

Former Traitors contestant Andrew Jenkins has reunited with a physiotherapist who helped him recover from a car crash that left him in a coma for four weeks.

Mr Jenkins, from Llantrisant, returned to Morriston Hospital in Swansea to meet Clare Ford, who treated him after the accident in August 1999.

“It was quite surreal walking back up the hill into the hospital,” he said.

“It’s a really special place for me. It’s where my life was saved. The people who cared for me, like Clare, are very important to me and I wanted to come back and say thank you.

“It’s been 26 years since I was last here. I’ve got lots of memories, some happy and some very difficult.”

Mr Jenkins, who appeared in the second series of the BBC programme, was 21 and travelling home from a wedding when the crash happened.

“My wheel hit the kerb and the car flipped onto its side. I was thrown through the driver’s window and dragged along the road,” he said.

“When emergency services arrived, they initially thought I had died.”

He suffered a shattered skull and a serious arm injury. After emergency treatment in Newport, he was transferred to Morriston for specialist care and reconstructive surgery.

“It was very touch and go,” he said.

“While all this was going on, a police officer knocked on my parents’ door to tell them what had happened. My mother says she remembers that night every single day.”

Recalling waking from his coma, he said: “When I woke up from the coma, I didn’t know where I was or what had happened. My family had been told there was a strong chance I’d never recognise them, walk, talk or use my arms and legs again.

“One of the first things I said was that I’d walk out of hospital, and that’s exactly what I did.”

Ms Ford remembered his time on the ward.

“Memories of certain patients stay with you, and I remember Andrew very clearly, even down to the exact bed he was in,” she said.

“Despite extensive injuries to his head and skull, Andrew was fortunate not to suffer a long term brain injury. While I was helping rehabilitate his arm, he was also getting back on his feet.

“Despite everything he was going through, he was always thoughtful and polite. I’m not at all surprised he’s now helping others.”

Rugby

The accident ended Mr Jenkins’s hopes of playing rugby for Wales.

“The physical injuries were horrendous, but the psychological trauma was the hardest thing for me,” he said.

“I suffered in silence for more than 20 years. I walked around with a smile on my face and put on a mask every day.”

Counselling eventually helped him come to terms with what had happened. He now supports several charities, including the brain injury charity Headway.

“I want people to know that you can experience trauma, live with scars, lose a dream, struggle with your mental health and still turn your life around,” he said.

“Since The Traitors, I feel very privileged to have a platform that allows me to inspire people.”

Reunion

His return to Morriston follows a reunion two years ago with Professor Hamish Laing, the reconstructive plastic surgeon who operated on him after the crash.

Ms Ford said: “It is wonderful to see how far he has come.

“To know he is using his experiences to help and inspire others makes everyone who cared for him incredibly proud.”

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