Reba star Christopher Rich gets candid about post-stroke and brain injury health battle

 

 Reba star Christopher Rich has opened up about his tough health battle after his stroke and brain injury.

 The 71-year-old actor talked about his road to recovery with Us Weekly on Wednesday as he got candid about all that he has endured since the cerebrovascular accident which occurred in 2018.

He said: ‘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.

‘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.

‘I lost 50 pounds since the last time I was a regular on television. I just don’t have much of an appetite anymore. But I’m not disappointed by losing weight.’

Rich is best known for his work playing Reba McEntire‘s ex-husband Brock in the sitcom Reba which aired from 2001 to 2007.

Reba star Christopher Rich (seen August 2014) has opened up about his tough health battle after his stroke and brain injury as he talked about his road to recovery with Us Weekly on Wednesday
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Reba star Christopher Rich (seen August 2014) has opened up about his tough health battle after his stroke and brain injury as he talked about his road to recovery with Us Weekly on Wednesday

Rich is best known for his work playing Reba McEntire's ex-husband Brock in the sitcom Reba which aired from 2001 to 2007
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Rich is best known for his work playing Reba McEntire’s ex-husband Brock in the sitcom Reba which aired from 2001 to 2007

More recently he was able to reunite with former costars Reba and Melissa Peterman as he recently made a guest appearance on NBC’s Happy Place.

He told the publication: ‘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.

‘I was really well taken care of. It was a blessing. I want to go back so badly.’

Rich also opened up about his optimism surrounding his return to showbusiness despite all he has endured.

He said: ‘It’s great to be able to be a disabled person and play a disabled person. I’m hoping that when some of this gets out there, that people that I’ve worked with in the past are going to say, “OK, let’s bring him back. We can work with him.”‘

His first claim to fame came starring as Alexander ‘Sandy’ Cory on drama series Another World in the early 1980s.

Rich has had a successful career as he also starred on Boston Legal, The Nanny, ER and Murphy Brown before his signature role on The Nanny. He also starred as Rich in 1993 flick The Joy Luck Club.

He previously detailed how his stroke damaged the right side of his brain which led to his impaired ability to walk, talk, and use the left side of his body.

He said: '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. 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'; he is pictured with Reba McEntire and Melissa Peterman in January 2003
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He said: ‘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. 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’; he is pictured with Reba McEntire and Melissa Peterman in January 2003

More recently he was able to reunite with former costars Reba and Melissa Peterman as he recently made a guest appearance on NBC's Happy Place
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More recently he was able to reunite with former costars Reba and Melissa Peterman as he recently made a guest appearance on NBC’s Happy Place

Rich (pictured right - Steve Howey left - on Reba in 2001) also opened up about his optimism surrounding his return to showbusiness despite all he has endured. He said: 'It¿s great to be able to be a disabled person and play a disabled person. I¿m hoping that when some of this gets out there, that people that I¿ve worked with in the past are going to say, "OK, let¿s bring him back. We can work with him"'
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Rich (pictured right – Steve Howey left – on Reba in 2001) also opened up about his optimism surrounding his return to showbusiness despite all he has endured. He said: ‘It’s great to be able to be a disabled person and play a disabled person. I’m hoping that when some of this gets out there, that people that I’ve worked with in the past are going to say, “OK, let’s bring him back. We can work with him”‘

Reba McEntire stars in the new trailer for ‘Happy’s Place’

The actor explained: ‘I almost didn’t make it to the Easter service at church because I was busy having a massive stroke.

‘It has been a major struggle but a part of my treatment is coming here to get a stem cell treatment to heal the right side of my brain where the blood clot happened.’

Rich described the toll the medical emergency has taken on his body.

He explained: ‘It destroyed some of my brain so what I have been doing is I’ve been trying to redevelop neural pathways.

‘My left side was completely frozen. I couldn’t walk or use my left arm.’

Rich is married to Eva Halina Rich as they tied the knot in 2003 before welcoming two daughters: 20-year-olds Daisy Grace Wilson and Lilly Hanna Wilson.

He previously talked about the toll his medical emergency had taken on the family in a 2019 video for the Centre for Neuro Skills.

Rich said: ‘After [you] suffer a brain injury, it is like everything has changed in a moment and now you’re in this other place. But there’s hope because this is where — for me — the sun shines.

Rich has had a successful career as he also starred on Boston Legal (pictured), The Nanny, ER and Murphy Brown before his signature role on The Nanny
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Rich has had a successful career as he also starred on Boston Legal (pictured), The Nanny, ER and Murphy Brown before his signature role on The Nanny

He also starred as Rich in 1993 flick The Joy Luck Club
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He also starred as Rich in 1993 flick The Joy Luck Club

Rich is married to Eva Halina Rich as they tied the knot in 2003 before welcoming two daughters: 20-year-olds Daisy Grace Wilson and Lilly Hanna Wilson; the family is seen in Laguna Beach back in August 2016
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Rich is married to Eva Halina Rich as they tied the knot in 2003 before welcoming two daughters: 20-year-olds Daisy Grace Wilson and Lilly Hanna Wilson; the family is seen in Laguna Beach back in August 2016

‘Treat your significant other nicely because you’re gonna be relying on them, and don’t forget to ask other people for help because you can use all the help you can get right now. … You’re at the right place and I’m so sorry that you’re having to do this, but I’m glad you found this place. They will take good care of you. They saved my life.’

He also got real about how the road to recovery created challenges in his marriage.

Rich explained: ‘My wife and I are still working hard to reestablish our relationship because it’s like she’s living with a different person.

‘I get frustrated with the fact that she doesn’t recognize me as the same guy that is still in here. But she’s like, “This is an adjustment.” I don’t think I’ll ever be exactly what I was before and I hope not because this has been such a learning experience for me’

Happy’s Place airs Friday Nights  on NBC and can also be streamed on Peacock.