Actress Suzanne Somers was seriously injured and had to undergo neck surgery after falling down a flight of stairs recently with her husband, according to reports.
The 73-year-old actress turned health advocate has to wear a neck brace for the next five weeks, NBC News reported.
Somers revealed the accident Wednesday on her social media accounts, explaining to concerned fans why she’s been absent from her popular Facebook Live show.
“As most of you know, I have been struggling for the better part of the year with a fractured hip, and then Alan and I took an unfortunate fall while coming down the stairs at our home,” she wrote.
Somers said she suffered two separated vertebrae that were causing severe pain, but she still tried to keep a sense of humor about the ordeal.
“I had an intense amount of pain after the fall that was not resolving — even after having tequila!” she wrote.
She said the surgery helped correct some of the issues, but she still needs time to heal.
“I need a bit more time to recover before I can join you again at the bar for our virtual cocktail parties,” she wrote.
Her husband of 43 years, Alan Hamel, was not hurt during the fall.
He explained exactly how the accident happened in a statement shared with NBC News, saying Somers “got banged up pretty seriously.”
“Unfortunately, both of us took a fall at the same time,” the 84-year-old told the network. “We were at the top of stone steps leading from our bedroom and I accidentally stepped on the edge of a boulder, lost my balance and because we were holding hands I dragged Suzanne down on top of me. In that moment, I thought it’s a good thing that I’m on the bottom and she is on top of me so that I take the hit but unfortunately for some reason it was the other way around.”
Hamel said his wife’s return to her social media presence depends on how quickly she can recover from her injuries.
“The moment the surgery was complete the neck and shoulder pain she had experienced slowly went away, and the only residual pain is from the surgery itself, which is now dissipating,” he said.
Somers is best known for playing Chrissy Snow on the 1970s sitcom “Three’s Company.”
About the Author
