Bachelor boy Con left singing the praises of HRI; Ground-breaking surgery saves star.

Byline: EMMA DAVISON

A STAR from the 1960s came close to bleeding to death in Huddersfield when an artery in his leg was torn.

But thanks to ground-breaking surgery Con Cluskey survived to perform once again to his legion of fans. Now the lead singer with 60s pop group The Bachelors had told the Examiner how he owes his life to surgeons at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

Con, who lives in Elland, said: "I am very lucky to be alive and I can't thank the hospital staff enough.

"Without their skill I would not be here today ready to get back to performing for my fans."

Con panicked when he woke in bed at home to find himself covered in a pool of his own blood.

The star, whose band once outsold The Beatles, was driven by his wife Kay to accident and emergency at Calder Royal Hospital in Halifax where he passed out twice.

But because there was not the right equipment or specialists available to treat him, Con was transferred by ambulance to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

He said: "The staff were phenomenal and I was immediately X-rayed to try to find the source of the problem with no success.

"Then I was brought to surgery when an endoscoptomy was performed, but there was so much blood in my bowel nothing could be found.

"As a last resort a telescope was inserted into an artery at the top of my leg and fed up to my bowel where several tears were discovered in the artery through which blood was escaping."

During a four-hour procedure a team of surgeons performed microsurgery on Con's artery, stitching it together with wire clips.

Con was once again the centre of attention as a room full of doctors and nurses observed the surgery, which is a new procedure.

He said: "I was conscious throughout and able to watch the operation on the screen which was a bit like watching a TV programme "I felt no pain whatsoever, the only inconvenience was that my leg kept going into spasm."

Con, who had been out playing golf only the day before his ordeal, had to be given six pints of blood to replace the three-and-a-half litres he lost during his ordeal. After a week in hospital he is now recuperating well at home, although doctors are yet to determine what caused his sudden illness.

But Con is grateful to be alive and says he has the team at the hospital to thank for that.

He said: "I lost so much blood - almost a body full - and almost went.

"There's no doubt that without the ground-breaking microsurgery and the skill of the surgeons at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary I would not be here.

"I would never say anything against the NHS. It was absolutely brilliant the way these nurses and doctors worked.

"I've given blood in the past and I'm a great believer that everybody who can give blood should.

"My message to my fans is that they consider donating blood as a Christmas gift to somebody like me who might desperately need it."

Because of his illness Con had to cancel three gigs - the first time he has had to do so in a showbiz career spanning 50 years.

But he is determined to get back on stage performing before the end of the year to celebrate what has been a fantastic few years for the original Irish boy band who have sold 22 million records.

He said: "I'm getting back to my old self now and we've got a few shows planned for before Christmas and for New Year which I'm aiming for.

"We've got quite a few shows planned for next year. We've had a fantastic few years. Last year our album went to number five in the charts and number two in Ireland outselling U2!

"We've been playing since 1963 and it's wonderful to be back in the charts again and knowing we still have great fans."

CAPTION(S):

RECOVERING: Con Cluskey recuperating in hospital and, left, pictured with brother Dec and John Stokes in the 1960s (S)