Hollyoaks legend David Ames has been rushed to hospital after being left in “absolute agony”. The Channel 4 star, who played headteacher Carter Shepherd in the soap as well as Dominic Copeland in BBC medical soap Holby City, revealed his possible diagnosis to fans on social media. Connected to various IVs, David explained: “Waking up in absolute agony with possible kidney stones is not how I planned to start my day… but here we are!”

The 41-year-old actor joked about water soluble lubricated jelly he was treated with – so it appears he’s in good spirits. Alongside a snap of a suppository and lubrication, he quipped: “Didn’t even buy me a drink…” It isn’t clear how long he spent in the ward, but later in the day he thanked fans for supporting his fundraising for Breast Cancer Now, with David set to run the London Marathon for the charity. He said in a post: “I’m so moved by your messages of support and donations. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

David is no stranger to a hospital setting, having played Dom in Holby City from 2013 until 2022 before landing his Hollyoaks role. In 2021, his character had to be fitted with an emergency stoma, explaining to Inside Soap: “I think [the story line] will do a lot of good…

“Dom’s a guy who has always struggled with feeling unloveable, and this pushes him to the limit. However, people live normal, full and healthy lives with a stoma, and have intimate relationships, so it’s nice to shine a light on that. In a world of selfies, to be able to stand there with your top off and say, ‘I live with this every day, and it saved my life’, shouldn’t be taboo.”

When the medical drama was cancelled, David admitted it was “massively” hard, admitting to Digital Spy: “I don’t think I realised quite how much [it impacted me]. It was a bit of a shock to the system. I was very lucky as I was distracted immediately – I had Christmas off and then I went into doing a play. But for all of us, it was our family and it was such a well-loved show.

“We got very used to going to Elstree [Studio] and being able to see each other often. When you have been in a show as long as myself and Rosie Marcel, Guy Henry and Bob Barrett, it must have been a real shock for them as well. I certainly noticed the fact that I missed everyone and the comfortability of being able to drive into Elstree and do a day’s work — getting to do what you love every day is such a joy.”