FORMER Coronation Street and Red Dwarf star Craig Charles has revealed he is “lucky to be alive” after a fire ripped through his home.
The actor, 57, shared his ordeal with listeners while presenting the Craig Charles early afternoon playlist on his BBC 6 Music show.
He said on New Year’s Eve: “Last night or early this morning my life got saved by a smoke alarm.
“In fact, my whole family’s life got saved by a smoke alarm, so be careful with your candles.
“In my dream someone had left the fridge door open and when the fridge door is open for too long it starts beeping and that’s why I was kicking off in my dream.
“Then I heard one of my daughters shouting ‘Dad, Dad, the smoke alarm is going off’.
“We got up, we went down and we have like a garland above the mantlepiece of twigs and berries and holly and a candle, I think it’s probably me who should of blown the candle out, I’m not sure but I’m taking the blame anyway, had set fire to the garland which had set fire to the wallpaper on the fireplace.”
It comes just weeks after the actor and DJ revealed his 32-year-old son Jack was on oxygen in a Covid battle, after he was himself hospitalised with the coronavirus .
Craig made assurances that his son would survive when he told The Times: “He’ll get there.”
Charles said he made sure to FaceTime his son to check in on him.
In September, Charles told fans he was on oxygen after contracting ‘the Covid’.
The Red Dwarf star took to Twitter to tell followers he was feeling very unwell.
Craig’s post read: “Okay guys I don’t want to alarm, but I’ve caught the Covid.
“Breathing is a bit laboured which is a worry, but I’ve got an oxymonitor so so far no hospital.
“Starting to feel a bit better but have to isolate, Sorry to let everyone down. Back soon.”
The former Corrie star – who played Lloyd Mullaney on the ITV soap – also opened up on how he drank heavily during lockdown after his DJ gigs were put on hold.
“It’s been really bad for business,” he said of Covid.
“Mass gatherings is my job and sitting in your pants for 18 months watching Homes Under the Hammer drinking rosé isn’t great for business.”
The Money Bags host said he must throw himself into work to distract himself because of his addictive personality after he once spent £250,000 on crack.
“I like to keep busy,” he explained.
Craig became a household name when he landed the role of slob technician Dave Lister, the last known survivor of the human race, in the cult BBC sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf, beating Hugh Laurie to the role.
It became a huge hit and gained cult status for him and his co-stars and Craig is the only cast member, apart from Danny John-Jules who plays Cat, to have starred in every single episode.
In 2005, Craig joined the Coronation Street cast as taxi driver Lloyd Mullaney and was given free rein to introduce various aspects of the character’s personality.
