In the early 2000s, Christopher Rich played Brock Hart, Reba McEntire’s lovable ex-husband, on the sitcom Reba. Now, at age 71, Christopher is opening up about how a major medical emergency changed his life forever. He continued his career for years after Reba ended in 2007, but in 2018, a stroke changed everything.
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He told Us Weekly ahead of a guest spot on Reba’s new show Happy’s Place, “After my stroke and having a brain injury, it is like I got hit with an atomic bomb. So it all gets traumatized, and it is a hard reset,” he explained. “After I finally got out of the hospital, I was moving around again. Then I threw a bunch of blood clots and ended up in the hospital with lung embolisms and debris on my heart. After surviving all of that crap, I’m feeling really, really good.”
The “Reba” Star Suffers Lasting Effects From His Stroke
Christopher said he lost weight after his stroke because he no longer has the appetite he used to have.
“When you face a major medical issue, it changes your perspective on life,” Christopher admitted. “When you come through it, you begin to enjoy each day a little bit more even with the pain.”
After taking a lengthy break from acting to focus on his health and his recovery, Christopher was thrilled to appear on Happy’s Place. For the first time since the stroke, he joined Reba and Melissa Petermen, who played his wife, Barbara Jean, way back when.
“The crew made it feel like the old Reba set because we were having a blast. They had as much fun as I did and that was really heartwarming for me. It felt like I was back home in a safe place,” he told Us. “I was really well taken care of. It was a blessing. I want to go back so badly.”
This story’s featured image is by L. Cohen/WireImage via Getty.
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