Former Coronation Street star Craig Charles describes moment his wife took one look at him and called an ambulance

Craig Charles has recalled a mix-up between his wife and a 999 operator that had him ‘laughing his socks off’ while having a heart attack.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Craig described the moment he fell ill and explained his wife was away visiting her parents in Galway at the time, which meant he delayed seeking medical attention.

He said: "I was really pale and I was sweating but I was freezing. She said 'phone an ambulance'.

"I said 'you're coming home tomorrow so we'll do it then'. She gets home the next day, takes one look at me and gets on the phone to call an ambulance.

"The woman on the phone says 'what's wrong with him', she said 'I think he's having a heart attack'. The woman says 'stay with me, stay on the line, what colour is he?'

"And my wife says 'he's brown'. So I'm having a heart attack and laughing my socks off at the same time."

Craig has had stents fitted since he suffered a heart attack a number of years ago and said this has given him a new lease of life.

The 59-year-old Red Dwarf star explained he suffers with the same heart condition his brother Dean died from in 2014.

He said: "It's the narrowing of the arteries that leads to the heart and they said it was genetic at the time and I should go and get it checked out.

"I just ignored them and got on with my life but then I had the same thing."

Craig suffered another health scare earlier this year when he fell ill live on BBC radio - but tests ruled out a heart problem and he has since bounced back in typical fashion as he remains as busy as ever.

He continues to host a daily radio show on 6 music and still tours across the globe with his iconic Funk + Soul show.

Although Craig is synonymous with the funk and soul genre, he has enjoyed