Iron Maiden drummer Nicko speaks out on health after stroke left him paralysed

Iron Maiden star Nicko McBrain has revealed he suffered from a stroke in January.  The 71-year-old’s team shared a statement on his behalf, in which he said he was on the road to recovery. Part of it reads: “In January I had a stroke, thank the Lord it was a minor one referred to as a TIA. “It left me paralyzed on my right side from my shoulder on down.” Nicko admitted his health ordeal made him “very worried” that his career was over “but with the love and support from my wife, Rebecca and family, my doctors, especially Julie my OT (Occupational Therapist), and my Maiden family I was able to bounce back to somewhere near 70% recovered.” Iron Maiden’s Nicko McBrain suffered from a stroke back in January (Image: GETTY) He went on to say that after 10 weeks of “intense therapy”, it was almost time to start rehearsals for the band’s tour. Of his reason for speaking out now, he added: “I feel it’s important to let you know about this now instead of earlier as I was mainly concerned with doing my job and concentrating on getting back to 100% fitness.” “I’m not there yet but by the grace of God I’m getting better and stronger as the weeks go by,” he continued. Nicko concluded his post thanking fans for “the most wonderful and magical tour so far” and that he looked forward to seeing his fans “somewhere in time”. Nicko McBrain said he was ‘very worried’ his career was over after stroke (Image: GETTY) This is a breaking showbiz story and is being constantly updated. Please refresh the page regularly to get the latest news, pictures and videos. You can also get email updates on the day’s biggest stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletters. Get all the very best headlines, pictures, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by following Daily Express every time you see our name. You can follow us on Twitter @expressceleb for all the latest showbiz news and keep up-to-date with your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at  Daily Express .