Danny Malin: 'I kept my stroke a secret for a year - but opening up has given me a new lease of life'

Sharing my stroke journey has given me a new lease of life. I kept it a secret for the last year. It was eating me up, but I had to get my own head around it.

My Rate My Takeaway channel was doing well, I was a director at LDC Radio, and we have a lovely clan of five kids at home with the youngest having only been five months then.

It was in February 2024 when I lost a part of me. My brain will be damaged for life and that’s hard to come to terms with.

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The stroke left me with weakness down my left side, memory loss, and chronic fatigue. When I’m tired, I slur my words or have seizures.

In the first few months I was in denial and insisted on still doing two meet and greets I’d booked in because I didn’t want to let anyone down.

But then, a week later, I had another stroke.

The mental torture has been the hardest part. I’m a traditional Yorkshireman. I’m proud and private.

My wife Sophie, however, is a typical Yorkshire wife with strong opinions. She insisted that I see a stroke specialist and neuropsychologist, so I caved in and did. I was struggling to accept help - and the fact that my life had changed.

But my family’s support has given me hope. I’ve started practicing mindfulness and resting more when the chronic fatigue kicks in. I’m still learning.

Since doing a video explaining that I’ve had a stroke, I was prepared for a huge backlash.

Instead, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. So many people have reached out sharing their experiences and I wish I’d shared sooner, but I was in denial. If you need help or to share anything please do reach out for support.