Emmerdale actress Lorraine Chase, who plays Steph Stokes in the popular soap, has admitted that she had "never been so frightened" after choking at a restaurant. Lorraine has been dining out with friends when a piece of salmon was stuck in her throat, and revealed that a quick thinking barmaid saved her life.
Lorraine opened up about the terrifying ordeal
Opening up about the frightening ordeal to The Sun, she said: "I was eating a little piece of smoked salmon on rye bread, which was quite dry, and it just went down the wrong way and became stuck in my windpipe. I've never been so frightened in all my life. I'm lucky to be alive. I was coughing and choking. I couldn't breathe."
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She continued: "I've got no idea how long it went on for. All I know is that it went on long enough for my lips to go slightly blue, so it was long enough. I remember my friend Jamie saying, 'Lorraine, are you all right?' but I couldn't breathe or talk at all. I was frightened that I was going to choke to death'. A barmaid tried the Heimlich manoeuvre before sitting her down and hitting her hard on the back. The 68-year-old has said that she will be revisiting the pub to thank her saviour properly with a gift.
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According to the Red Cross, you can recognise someone choking if they are clutching their chest or neck, and unable to speak, breathe or cough. The best way to help an adult who is choking is to hit them firmly between the shoulder blades, and call 999 for aid. If hitting them doesn't dislodge the blockage, a Heimlich manoeuvre is performed by standing behind them, joining your hands around their tummy and forming a fist, then pulling your hands sharply inwards and upwards. According to the site, this move should be repeated up to five times, and shouldn't be done on a child under a year old. Find out more here.