STILL GAME MEENA IN HOSPITAL AFTER BAD FALL

STILL Game actress Shamshad Akhtar kept up her sense of humour in hospital after she was admitted following a bad fall. 

The seventy year old charity volunteer and campaigner who who played hidden shopkeeper Meena in the BBC comedy stuck her two fingers up to the camera after she was asked to pose wearing her NHS issued nightie and lying in her hospital bed. 

Shamshad, arrived to Glasgow from Lahore when she was 14 years old and taught herself English. 

She got her funny role on Still Game after surviving an abusive relationships and credits Craiglang with giving her a new beginning. 

She donated all of her Still Game wages to help good causes, such as Down’s syndrome after her grandson Mo was born with the condition, is believed to have been taken into hospital around August 9 following her accident. 

Her friend Ross Owen wrote: “Wishing our very dear friend Shamshad Ashraf a speedy recovery after her recent fall. Such a wonderful, kind and selfless lady. Hope you're back on your feet soon mrs xxx.“

Her daughter Anjum Ghani who spoke on her behalf on Facebook said: “Thank u to everyone for ure well wishes, shes still getting further tests done and ill pass all ure messages on to her xx”

Showing off the cards she’d been sent by family and friends, and posting up the picture of her mum swearing to the camera she later wrote: “Getting there slowly but surely. My mums still not able to reply back to her messages but will do so as soon as she is able to. She is responding well to treatment and is feeling much perkier, but still very weak. Thank u all once again.”

Well wishers from as far afield as Canada, New York, Ireland, the Isle of Lewis, and Motherwell sent their love. 

John Paul said: “Get up ya boot ,yir no getting pip. Get well soon shamshad xx love&peace.” And Anjum replied: “ John Paul 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 thatll make her smile.”

Fan Dave Paton refereed go her screen husband played by Sanjeev Kohli and joked: “Navid's away to pick up an overnight bag but is currently falling down the stairs, and will be in the adjacent bed shortly. Get well soon. X

Steven Nixon added: “I'd watch it if Tam comes in with flowers, won't no where they've come from. Get well Meena x

WATCH OWEN PAUL FALL OFF STAGE AT EIGHTIES FESTIVAL

Beverley Lyons 

EIGHTIES Star Owen Paul cracked his ribs, sprained his wrist and lost his memory when he fell off the stage and plunged six feet head first onto the ground at a festival last weekend. 
And the My Favourite Waste of Time singer  who hit fame with the catchy song in 1986 claims that time slowed down as he fell to the ground with an almighty thud three songs into his performance at Tropicana Nights Eighties Festival in Southend. 
Glasgow born Owen, who is now out of hospital where he had scans, x rays and treatment following the incident said he was trying to stand on a speaker to get nearer the audience when he realised too late that it wasn’t supported by anything. 
He said: “Everything seemed to be in slow motion so I knew I was in trouble. .when I had expected to be be standing freely on a speaker. Then of course I hit the ground full in the face with an almighty thud..then the slow motion was gone. I used my superpowers lol.”
Remarkably, Owen who fractured two ribs during the fall continued singing his song Crowded House’s Weather With You as his manager and backing singer Lynne watched on in amazement. 


He said: ”It wasn’t sore at all in the thirty or so minutes during the rest of my show. I told my manager and backing vocalist on stage that I thought I had broken my ribs but that we should carry on. It wasn't until I was in the ambulance at the side of the stage that the pain arrived..such is adrenalin.”
“I actually have little or no recollection of anything afterwards until I saw the footage, but in reality it's probably the experience of thousands of gigs I've performed at since I was a teenager that made me react in such a way.”
Owen, who says he once fell of the stage in 1986  at the Manchester Apollo on his first UK tour and was grabbed at the time by the mainly teenage audience before security stepped in, was rushed straight to hospital by ambulance. 
Medics told him he could easily have broken his neck with the fall. 
He said: “I truly had no idea what had happened until I was shown the footage that the paramedics had seen which is why they were ready when I completed the show. I actually managed to sing another seven songs before I left the stage. My family thought it was quite funny and attention seeking until they saw what happened. .as my mum and the doctors said, I could easily have broken my neck and worse. Apparently I bounced off speakers a bit on the way down.I have no recollection of that. My bruised legs and back know I did though so I’m very lucky.”
Owen has found it excruciating to sing since the weekend but managed to fight through the pain to appear on stage again at Lets Rock Liverpool on Saturday. 

He said: “Clearly as my rib cage is right up against my lungs and diaphragm it’s  excruciating just to breathe never mind sing...but I will heal. I was lucky. Unfortunately I was due to perform at Hale Barns carnival the day after the fall, but I could neither speak sing, stand up sit down or anything without squealing lol true. .so we had to pull out. I have barely moved for days but have had visits from my children and friends etc..all that has cheered me up. I'm desperate to get all this out of the way so I can get on with completing my new Americana/country/folk album. I want to get back in the studio.”

Excerpts of this article have since appeared in the Daily Record 

From Scotland with Love - TheShowbizLion.com