Charles Ingram, 47, first came to fame nine years ago when he correctly answered the £1million on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He then became more famous when it was discovered that he had cheated his way to victory by having his wife and another accomplice cough whenever he said the right answer.
He never got his £1million and ended up having to pay court costs, but it seems the universe was not done with the “Coughing Major“. While mowing his one acre garden, Ingram slipped on a rotten apple, which brought his left foot into contact with the sharp steel blades of his lawnmower.
Ingram explained:
I was using my hover mower to mow the bank at the back of the garden and trying to avoid the apple tree when I slipped on a rotten apple.
I tried to avoid the blade of the lawn mower but it went over my foot. I was only wearing Wellingtons and it sliced right through the rubber.
I remember seeing my big toe lying on the grass and thinking, ‘oh dear’. I got up and managed to shuffle down to the front of the garden.
Fortunately, someone was just arriving to pick up a laptop I’d been fixing for her. She rang for an ambulance and I was very impressed when two turned up in very quick time.
The tips of three of Ingram’s toes were sliced off, cleanly – the mower also mangled his foot. Despite his shocking injuries, Ingram remains upbeat:
The first operation was to clean the wound. They were particularly concerned about foxes and dogs having been in the garden, presumably because of contamination.
I had a second operation last Friday. Fortunately, the cut was very clean. I won’t need the blade sharpening for some time. So they stitched me up and sent me home on Saturday morning.
It could have been a lot worse. I am still in pain and I am only just able to apply pressure to the ball of my foot, but I have not lost my balance.
It would seem that Ingram’s fellow villagers don’t hold his ignominious past against him:
Almost as soon as it happened, people started putting cards through the letterbox with wishes for me to get well soon.
It really is amazing how quickly the news gets about.
[SWNS]
