Marc Almond: Music brought me out of coma

Singer Marc Almond has spoken about the horrific motorcycle accident that left him unconscious for 10 days and brought back his childhood stammer - and revealed that he believes music brought him back to consciousness

The Soft Cell star suffered two massive blood clots, fractured his skull in two places and underwent emergency surgery twice after the motorbike on which
he was riding pillion and a car were in collision in London last October.

Almond, 48, told the Mirror that he could not walk or talk after the smash and said one of the most difficult aspects of his recovery was the return of a childhood stammer.

He said: "When I was in my teens, I had a terrible stammer. It has come back worse than ever now and I suppose that's because I was shaken up like a jelly."
Describing his feelings after the accident, he said: "It was very difficult and emotional. But I'm a tough old boot. When I first came round and found out my situation, I was determined to be strong and get out of hospital. I wasn't going to be beaten by it."

The singer spent five weeks in hospital and believes it was a CD of songs he played to his parrot at home which finally brought him out of his coma.

Almond, who had a string of hits including the 1981 classic Tainted Love, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, and Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart, said he had no memory of the accident.

He said he now had to face the stammer and his hair having turned grey.

"I've gone very grey since the accident and I'd maybe like to use a little hair colour but I want to let the scars heal. I also want to show that I'm not afraid or embarrassed - they're just my war wounds."

He said the ordeal had made him more philosophical about life, and he felt lucky to be alive.