Former Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth is campaigning for greater blood pressure awareness after suffering a stroke on New Year’s Day.
The 47-year-old, who represented Leicester South from 2011 to 2024, said he had not known that he was living with dangerously high blood pressure.
He regrets missing routine GP health checks and is now urging others to get tested.
Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure significantly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Ashworth, a former shadow health secretary, said a check-up “could save your life”.
He said the moment he fell ill hit him “like a lightning bolt”.
“I had pins and needles but I could still speak and had no facial droop,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
“Being a politician, that’s a stressful lifestyle. Maybe that contributed, but I was quite healthy.
“I have never smoked and I was training to run a double marathon.”
The stroke left Ashworth with stiffness on his left side and partial blindness.
During his rehabilitation at Leicester Royal Infirmary, he has been learning to play the piano to help restore movement in his hand.
He has also recited lines from Shakespeare’s Hamlet to test his speech and memory.
“Everyone’s stroke journey is different,” he said.
“It’s not like recovering from a broken ankle.
“You have some days where you’re making progress and some days where you feel like you’re going backwards.
“A stroke is devastating.
“My first message to people in Leicester is get your blood pressure checked – it could save your life or help you avoid living a life with a disability.
“But my second message is that you can live a fulfilling life post-stroke.”
Ashworth thanked the NHS staff who treated him but felt more could still be done to raise awareness of hypertension.
According to health officials at Leicester City Council, 24,000 people in the city do not know they have high blood pressure, which Ashworth described as “shocking figures”.
Council documents identify hypertension as the most common cardiovascular condition among residents and a contributor to the area’s higher-than-average death rate among people aged under 75.
Amy Endacott, who wrote a report considered by the council’s health and wellbeing board, said the condition was more common among groups that make up significant parts of the local population.
These include older people, some ethnic minority communities and residents experiencing high levels of deprivation.
The council said uptake of blood pressure checks was about 20 per cent higher than the national average but acknowledged that more could be done to identify undiagnosed cases and address health inequalities.
A dedicated task group is working to improve access to tests through local pharmacies, GP surgeries, libraries and community outreach pop-up events.
