Luke Evans thanks 'amazing' NHS

Mr Evans, from Aberbargoed, said his dad required surgery after a “terrible accident”.

The Beauty and the Beast star – who has appeared in a number of blockbuster films – said those who work for the NHS are “all amazing” and that he is “very grateful for you all”.

His dad needed treatment after the accident on Friday.

He explained: “Three days ago my dad had an accident in his garden, slicing wood on a circular saw, it was very bad. He sliced his hand open, it was a terrible accident and he almost lost his fingers.

“We took him to our local hospital in Swansea (Morriston).

“He was taken straight into surgery, which took five hours of microsurgery by one of the most incredible people I have ever met.

“What he did to my dad hand is extraordinary.”

He went on to praise the care his family received.

(VIDEO: Instagram/thereallukeevans)

“From the second we got there we were looked after by very kind people: Nurses, carers, porters, surgeons, anaesthetists. All of which had already worked a very, very long day when we arrived. 

 “At 7pm, the surgeon, his name was Thomas, decided he would carry on and operate on my dad although he knew it would probably take him at least five hours to reconstruct my dad’s fingers.

“That would take him way over the time he had to finish work.

“He finished at 12.30 at night and came out with a smile on his face and time to give me and my mum all the time to explain what had happened to my dad, to have a  vein taken out of his wrist and put in his finger. Detailed precision work which makes my mind spin as to how they even do these things.”

Mr Evans, who was born in Pontypool, added: “I just wanted to say how lucky I feel and grateful I am to have a health service that allows my dad to be treated for all these things and it hasn’t needed an insurance, a health insurance or anything it is just there for us. We are a very lucky nation.”

“Yes it is massively in debt, yes it doesn’t function as well as it should, yes there are many problems, but the people who keep the NHS going - I met many of them over the last four days in this hospital - they are all superheroes.

“They are live savers and they have saved peoples lives, they have kept families together, they have delivered babies, they have saved hearts, limbs, lungs, livers, brains, they have brought people through the worst moments in their lives and they don’t get thanked enough.”

(Luke Evans has appeared in a number of Hollywood blockbusters.)

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“And they work hours that we can only, we just can't imagine how many hours these people work and they do it out of self-sacrifice and they are those kind of people.

“They want to give something back.

“I want to say thank you to them and thank you to the families for allowing them to do what they do

“You have mot only saved my dad’s hand, you have saved these incredible fingers which have built houses, fences, walls, fireplaces.

“My dad wouldn’t have survived well without his hands and you’ve saved them. You keep on saving people.”

“I am very proud to have experienced that first-hand and see how brilliant you all are.

“Just a shoutout to everybody that works for the NHS. From the people that empty the bins, to the people that save the lives, you are all amazing and I am very grateful for you all.”

He ended the video on a positive, saying: “One positive thing is that because he was kept in hospital, he had to watch his son singing on Dancing on Ice from his hospital bed, surrounded by all the staff from his ward which made him a very proud dad as you can imagine, so silver linings.”