The 66 year old shocked theatre-goers when he fainted while performing in The Country Girl in Shrewsbury, England last August (10).

The show was immediately halted and medics were called to attend to Shaw, who has now opened up about his health scare.

He tells Britain's Daily Mirror, ""I heard my cue and thought, 'That's weird, I can't move. I can't speak'. It was really scary. Then it was just like in the movies, I went backwards, and I thought, 'Oh s**t'.

""I couldn't speak but the medic kept saying, 'Can you smile for me sir?' I knew he was checking to see if I'd had a stroke because if you smile wonkily they go 'Uh-oh' and know what they're dealing with.""

Shaw resumed his role after a few days of treatment and admits carrying on with his heavy workload while feeling ill contributed to his collapse.

He adds, ""Anyone will tell you that touring theatre is exhausting. I felt ill but I'd carried on when I should have taken a few days off.""