EastEnders actor Sid Owen's jaw is SHATTERED and SIX teeth are knocked out by a flying golf ball... leaving him stranded in Thailand, in need of surgery and 'completely depressed'

  • The actor was staying near Bangkok, detoxing for Dry January
  • The incident took place during a game of golf on January 17 when a ball hit a nearby tree, ricocheted off and hit him at close range at the Siam Country Club
  • Doctors told the former-EastEnders star that he is lucky to be alive 
  • Sid is stranded abroad, unable to fly home as he is awaiting brain scan results
  • His visa has expired and he is staying on an emergency extension which runs out next week
  • He has described the past five weeks as 'hell' and has insisted that the experience has 'changed' him; he has also lost two stone as he's unable to eat
  • Adding to his woes is the fact that he is not covered should he contract the coronavirus, which is sweeping the globe
  • The actor admitted he is feeling 'alone and depressed' and is struggling to sleep from worry and pain 

Actor Sid Owen has undergone emergency surgery on his jaw after a golf ball thwacked him in the face and knocked out six of his teeth.

The incident - reported by The Sun - took place during a trip to Thailand, where doctors told the former  EastEnders actor that he is lucky to be alive.

The 48-year-old said: 'I’ve almost been lucky because they’ve told me if it had hit me two inches higher up I’d probably be dead from that sort of impact. I was stood about ten feet away when it hit me, hard, and of course it hurt like hell, but it was the shock factor too.'

Agony: Actor Sid Owen has found himself stranded in Thailand with a shattered jaw after a golf ball thwacked him in the face and knocked out six of his teeth [pictured in 2018]

Agony: Actor Sid Owen has found himself stranded in Thailand with a shattered jaw after a golf ball thwacked him in the face and knocked out six of his teeth [pictured in 2018]

Sid is stranded abroad, disallowed to fly home as he is awaiting brain scan results.

The incident happened during a game of golf on January 17 when a ball hit a nearby tree, ricocheted off and hit him at close range at the Siam Country Club Old Course near Bangkok.

Recalling the gruesome details, Sid said: 'I remember seeing two teeth fly straight out of my mouth but it turned out to be a fracture in my face and a broken jaw, along with another tooth embedded into my jaw.

'I had to have a bone graft, followed by several rounds of dental surgery because it was too much damage to try to treat it all at once.'

Traumatic: The EastEnders star has undergone emergency surgery on his jaw while abroad [pictured 2018 undergoing a painful mini thread treatment as part of an ITV show]

Traumatic: The EastEnders star has undergone emergency surgery on his jaw while abroad [pictured 2018 undergoing a painful mini thread treatment as part of an ITV show]

The treatment is said to have taken 15 hours so far and Sid is now on strong painkillers.

There's been further ramifications from the accident; Sid's visa has expired and is staying on an emergency extension.

If the surgery can't be completed in time, he will need to fly home to the UK to have the work completed on his damaged jaw.

He has described the past five weeks as 'hell' and has insisted that the experience has 'changed' him.

The soap star - who played Ricky Butcher on EastEnders from 1988 until 2012 - has had to skip auditions he had set up for February while stranded across the planet.

Having to extend his stay has also cost Sid money on accommodation and the ordeal is not guaranteed to be covered by travel insurance.

The worry has also caused him to drop nearly two stone - partly also down to his inability to eat, thanks to his damaged mouth.

Will he/won't he? Sid's ex-EastEnders co-star Patsy Palmer was announced to be returning to the stalwart BBC soap in the coming months - with many believing Sid's character Ricky would be set to reappear too

Will he/won't he? Sid's ex-EastEnders co-star Patsy Palmer was announced to be returning to the stalwart BBC soap in the coming months - with many believing Sid's character Ricky would be set to reappear too

Adding to his woes is the fact that he is not covered should he contract the coronavirus, which is sweeping the globe, which originated in Wuhan, China - which is 1,450 miles from Bangkok.

The actor admitted he is feeling 'alone and depressed' and is struggling to sleep from worry and pain.

Sid's ex-EastEnders co-star Patsy Palmer was announced to be returning to the stalwart BBC soap in the coming months - with many believing Sid's character Ricky would be set to reappear too.

This has not been confirmed - but the situation with Sid's jaw could jeopardise this.

MailOnline has contacted Sid's rep for comment. 

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.