Nick Moran Survives Spinal Scare, Actor On The Mend After Life-Threatening Surgery
Nick Moran, the British actor known for playing the sneaky Scabior in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, recently found himself in a real-life battle far scarier than anything on screen. The 55-year-old is recovering after an emergency spinal surgery that, according to doctors, may have saved his ability to walk and talk — or even his life.
Nick had been brushing off neck pain for some time, thinking it wasn’t serious. But behind the discomfort was something far more dangerous. It wasn’t until his girlfriend insisted he see a doctor that the truth came to light.
According to Terry Stone, a close friend of Nick’s and host of The Criminal Connection podcast, doctors told Nick that the damage to his spinal cord was life-threatening. “I spoke to one of his family members, and he damaged his neck somehow, and it’s affecting his spinal cord and some of the things that operate your speech and your legs,” Terry revealed. “
Faced with terrifying news, Nick had no choice but to act quickly. Surgeons made an incision in his spine, removed four of his neck bones, and replaced them with artificial ones. It was a high-risk procedure — and Nick went into it knowing he might come out of surgery changed forever.
Before the operation, doctors warned that Nick might never walk or speak again. Describing the situation as “dramatic,” Terry said, “He’s not in the best of health, but when he came out of the operation I was like ‘thank god’ because I think he’d decided he’d rather not walk or talk than die.”
Now, Nick is home and on the road to recovery. His rep confirmed to PEOPLE that he had surgery just over a week and a half ago and is “walking, talking, and making a full recovery.” While he’s not back to full strength just yet — “He’s shuffling around like a 100-year-old and has a neck brace on and taking it easy,” Terry admitted.
The actor, who also starred as Eddy in the cult classic Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, is already planning his return to set. “Nick will be back working on his next film shortly,” his rep said, adding that he’s thankful to everyone who sent him love and support.
