Fearing the worst, Cheryl called her son Alex. “He worked with elderly people and recognised the symptoms. He phoned an ambulance straight away.”

Cheryl, who had surgery for cancer of the womb in 2015, was rushed to hospital in Blackpool where doctors confirmed she had suffered a stroke. The illness left her unable to walk and she still uses a stick.

“I have had to retrain my brain. I couldn’t even pick up a penny at first,” Cheryl said.

“You lose the ability to coordinate your hands, to walk properly, your balance is gone. It’s frustrating and makes you angry. But I’ve started to recover; I am coming on in leaps and bounds now.”