The actor behind David Platt was forced to miss filming an episode of the long-running ITV soap after suddenly falling ill on the Cobbles
Coronation Street stalwart Jack P Shepherd has recalled a dramatic behind-the-scenes incident when he became “violently sick” during filming, which almost made him miss an iconic moment on the soap.
The actor, who has played David Platt for 25 years, recently made headlines after seemingly letting details slip about his character’s future on a morning TV show.
Despite being at the heart of some of the soap’s most memorable plots, Jack nearly had to forego his part in Coronation Street’s landmark 50th anniversary live episode, aired on December 9, 2010.
In a recent episode of his On The Sofa podcast, which he co-hosts with fellow cast members Ben Price (Nick Tilsley) and Colson Smith (Craig Tinker), Jack said he once had to pull out of filming scenes due to a crippling migraine that left him vomiting.
Previously, Jack had opened up about his condition, saying: “I suffer with migraines and throw up for 10 hours, and ultimately go blind! So I’m not Superman.”
His struggle with migraines came to a head during rehearsals at the Platt residence on the last technical run before the landmark live episode.
Jack disclosed: “I became ill on the, sort of, like the last tech day. I came down with a migraine and I throw up quite a lot. Violently sick. And I remember I was throwing up into the Platts’ kitchen sink.”
Ben, present during the rehearsal, was deeply concerned for Jack’s wellbeing and didn’t hesitate to step in. He wasn’t alone in his worry; Jack’s sudden illness caused quite a stir among the rest of the cast, reports Leicestershire Live.
“I remember I had to take Jack home because he weren’t very well before the rehearsal,” he recalled. “I took him and he was, like, walking with his dark glasses on into the car. He wasn’t good at all.
“But I just remember everyone sort of seeing him off. But then, as we walk into the car and turn around, they’re looking at me and they were like, ‘Is he going to be alright?’ Like, ‘Well, I don’t know! I’m not a doctor!’ But I went, ‘Yeah, he’ll be fine’. They were just sitting there.”
Despite the health scare, Jack was back on set the next day for the live episode, in which a tram crash and gas explosion in Weatherfield resulted in the deaths of characters Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold) and Molly Dobbs (Vicky Binns).
The actor explained his confidence in returning: “I knew in a way, because I’ve come down with a migraine now, I 100% won’t have one tomorrow. Because I get them, like, every three or four months apart. So then it was out the way, I knew I’d be absolutely right as rain.”
This revelation came shortly after Jack hinted at a significant twist regarding David’s future on the soap. During an appearance on This Morning on Wednesday (March 5), he reflected on his time portraying David and dropped a bombshell: “It would have been nice to kind of reach that milestone but… sadly, tonight’s the end, so… but I’ve loved every minute of it!”
When a visibly surprised Ben Shephard inquired: “Jack, is tonight the actual end for your character?”, Jack responded: “Yeah! I can’t believe we’ve managed to keep it out for so long but I think everybody will enjoy it!”
