James McAvoy praises NHS for saving his life after botched operation

The ‘X-Men’ actor donated £275,000 to the ‘Masks for NHS Heroes’ campaign

James McAvoy has stressed the importance of supporting the NHS after revealing that UK doctors saved his life following a botched operation.

The X-Men actor recently personally donated £275,000 to a campaign to give protective equipment to NHS workers on the frontlines in the battle against coronavirus.

Speaking about his support for the “Masks for NHS Heroes” campaign, McAvoy told Good Morning Britain that the NHS had helped him throughout difficult times in his life.

“The NHS has been there for me from the day I was born,” he said. “Throughout my life, me personally, they saved my life, which I won’t go into too much. I would be without multiple members of my family if it weren’t for the work of the NHS.

“In a less developed society random everyday things might kill us… you can fall over and bang your head and you’ve got this beautiful thing called the NHS which will save your life. You can have a little botched surgery, which is what happened to me, and the NHS is there to save your life.”

McAvoy continued: “You quickly realise in a situation like this just how close we are to all of that falling apart, how delicate and how precious it is and how much we need to look after it going forward.

“As horrible as this experience is that we are all going through, it is teaching us just how important our welfare system is and our healthcare system is and how important it is that we respect, and that we reward and protect those who are in the business of protecting us.”

The “Masks for NHS Heroes” crowdfunder has raised almost £2 million to provide NHS staff with PPE at a time when UK hospitals are struggling to provide doctors with gowns, masks and other equipment needed to safely treat Covid-19 patients.