Brookside Jimmy Corkhill star's chilling premonition years before tragic death

30 November 2023 , 11:57

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Dean Sullivan played Jimmy Corkhill in Brookside

Brookside star Dean Sullivan followed his 'fight or flight instinct' when he suspected something was wrong, years before his death.

The award-winning actor - who was famed for playing beloved Jimmy Corkill, the longest-serving cast member in the gritty Channel 4 soap - has sadly died at the age of 68, it was announced by his family today. Dean's cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

In May 2018, Dean was diagnosed with prostate cancer and opted for HDR (high-dose rate) brachytherapy to treat the disease. This involves having thin tubes inserted into the gland before targeted radiation is passed down them to pinpoint and kill cancer cells.

Dean was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 and spoke about his early symptoms and gut feeling to encourage others to get checked (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

The then-64-year-old actor underwent his treatment at Clatterbridge Hospital on The Wirral. "It was a bit uncomfortable, but you put up with it. I was back at home in a couple of hours and didn't dwell on it - it was an essential part of my cancer journey," he told the Liverpool Echo years later.

But it was in March 2018 that Dean first became aware that something might not be right with his body, after he noticed a change when urinating. "I'd noticed when I was going to the loo that my stream wasn't as strong as it used to be," he explained. "I used to joke I would be able to pee over a wall it was so strong. I never imagined it was something to do with my prostate though because I didn't have any of the other symptoms, such as going to the toilet several times in the night."

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Dean visited his local surgery where a doctor told him he didn't think there was anything to investigate. When nothing had improved two months later, he decided to return to the practice. "It is a bit like when you can feel you're getting a cold. Everyone knows their own body, so when there is something not sitting right, you just know," he explained. "My stream was so different to how it had been and I knew that wasn't how it should be."

The actor added: "Sometimes people think they're bothering the doctor unnecessarily and that doctors are always right, so if they've said it's nothing, it's nothing. But doctors aren't always right so we shouldn't be embarrassed to go back." Dean's persistence may have saved his life.

"When I went back I saw a doctor who specialised in prostate treatment. He gave me a quick examination and within two weeks I was at the hospital speaking to the consultant," he said. "If I'd have listened to the first doctor, it might have been a different story so always trust your gut. 11 times out of 10, you're right. We've still got that fight or flight instinct."

In 2022, Dean was discharged by his consultant. "As with many cancers, if they are caught early, they are treatable. My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago and I remember being quite upset," he said, adding that she was given the all-clear. "The message is get in there early and get checked out if you are 50 and over," Dean urged.

The soap star was only contracted to appear in six episodes of Brookside, but due to his popularity, Dean was taken on full-time and remained on the show for 17 years. A statement given from Hamilton Management and his family read: "To millions he was and very much still is remembered as 'Jimmy', to family and friends he was 'Dino'. Dean's family wants to thank Arrowe Park Hospital for their unwavering and consistent support. We ask that you respect their privacy in their time of grief."

For more information or support about cancer, you can contact Macmillan Cancer Support or you can call 020 7940 1760 for advice.

Nia Dalton