BRENDA Blethyn has revealed she was rushed to hospital after a medical emergency on set of Vera.
The BAFTA-winning actress will officially bow out of the ITV drama after 14 years this January.
Brenda, 78, told The Sun she had decided to quit Vera to spend more time at home with her family.
But looking back at her time on set, she recounted a previous frightening medical emergency.
She told The Sun: “I got Bell’s palsy during one episode and my face was all… I think it happened on camera.
“The makeup artist started to notice it. What’s wrong with Brenda’s face? She’s winking at everybody. I blink a lot but there was only one eye that was going.”
Brenda said it was “was about four or five years ago” and put her medical drama down to “bad luck”.
She continued: “I’m not sure what caused it, I think it was an ear infection.
“But because it was dealt with immediately within the hour of it happening by a doctor [it wasn’t as bad] I was taken to hospital straight away.”
Meanwhile, first look pictures from the final two episodes of Vera show the copper desperately calling for help.
The episodes are called ‘Inside’ and ‘The Dark Wives’ as Vera looks into the case surrounding these gripping murder mysteries.
The legendary detective has to deal with the heartfelt narrative of her own personal journey.
New pictures show the officer standing by her famous 4×4 as she urgently holds her hand high in a call for help.
Vera will air on New Year’s Day at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Vera’s Cast Over The Last 14 Years
Since its launch back in 2011 Vera has gripped ITV viewers with its crime stories – and dozens of actors have appeared in the show, including: