Daniel Radcliffe’s lookalike, who was paralyzed from the chest down after an accident on the set of Harry Potter, says he is still proud of the work he has done and the impact the films have on their audiences.
David Holmes, 43, was rehearsing a fight scene involving an explosion when he fell to the ground while working on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in January 2009 at Leavesden film studios near Watford.
The accident broke David’s neck, causing him to be paralyzed from the chest down, with limited movement in his arms and hands.
A consequent cyst in his spinal cord has caused continued deterioration and he is likely to soon be completely paralyzed, making it impossible for him to breathe, speak and swallow independently.
But despite admitting that he is angry at the program for his injury, Holmes says he remains proud of the impact his work still has to this day.
Talking to Andy Coulson on his Crisis What crisis? In the podcast, he recalled Christmas 2019, when he was seriously ill in the hospital after brain surgery.
He said: “The first time was on Christmas Day when I was able to eat a full meal, which was my mum’s Christmas dinner, and we were in a hospital, it was a difficult time and I had a little TV on the wall and we watched Oliver Twist.
David had worked as Daniel Radcliffe’s double in all of the Harry Potter films before his accident.
David Holmes, 43, was rehearsing a fight scene involving an explosion when he fell to the ground while working on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in January 2009 at Leavesden film studios near Watford. In the photo: About the crisis What crisis? podcast
Despite admitting that he is angry at the program for his injury, Holmes says he remains proud of the impact his work still has to this day. Pictured: Daniel and David in The Boy Who Lived
‘That movie saved my family that day. And in that moment we were taken out of the hospital and transported through the power of a great story.
“And I always remind myself that Harry Potter does that for millions of people every day, and I’m very, very proud of my contribution to people’s safe space.”
‘Even though it put me in my situation, I will never stop being proud of it. It’s a beautiful thing.’
Holmes was paralyzed from the chest down after breaking his neck in rehearsals for a fight scene in 2009 on the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
Speaking about the moment on the podcast, he described the moment he acted being hit by a spell, at which point he would fly back on a wire.
He said: ‘Something went wrong that was out of my control. I flew into a wall at phenomenal speed, neck first, and my chest folded toward my nose and my spinal cord separated. I landed instantly paralyzed, still conscious.”
David, who had worked as Daniel’s body double in all the Harry Potter films before his accident, was initially taken to A&E at Watford General Hospital, but transferred to a hospital specializing in spinal injuries when the severity of his injuries became evident.
He spent several months in the hospital and underwent years of treatments and surgeries.
Holmes told his story in the documentary The Boy Who Lived and spoke fondly of his current friendship with Hollywood star Daniel. Pictured: Radcliffe (right) and Holmes (second from left) during the filming of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Holmes was paralyzed from the chest down after breaking his neck in rehearsals for a fight scene in 2009 on the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (pictured).
The stuntman further revealed that he may only have 24 years to live as his condition worsens.
But he still wants to accomplish as much as he can in the time he has left.
He told Mr Coulson, the former News of the World editor and Downing Street communications director: “The doctors told me my expected life age is 65, which gives me 24 more years on this planet.”
‘And on that journey will I still be able to speak, will I still be able to eat, will I still be able to breathe independently? I don’t know.
“But I know I can do it today, so I’ll make sure I use it before I lose it, and that’s something that puts a rocket in your butt, for sure.”
Holmes told his story in the documentary The Boy Who Lived and spoke fondly about his current friendship with Hollywood star Daniel, who served as the film’s executive producer.
Speaking about her time with the Harry Potter star, the former gymnast joked: “Seeing Dan’s physique, when he was 10 or 11, in the early days of filming, we soon realized that he wasn’t the most coordinated or the most the most physical!
“Two or three times a week, Daniel came to see us in the specialist department, we closed the doors and the important thing for me was: let him be a child.”
The stuntman further revealed that he may only have 24 years to live as his condition worsens. In the photo: in the documentary The Boy Who Lived.
Daniel and David remain close friends, with the Hollywood star serving as executive producer of the film about his friend.
‘We did all the things an insurance company would have a heart attack about! We let him go on trampolines, we fought with swords, we just played, to create that environment for Dan to play and develop his physique.”
Earlier this year, Holmes told how he felt “devastated” after scammers used a phone scam to get money he said was for his care and “to escape the pain of winter.”
He was called by someone claiming to be from the NatWest fraud team, who had personal details such as his address and knew it had been his birthday the day before.
The person also knew he had cryptocurrency linked to his card and suggested transferring funds to a “secure wallet.”
Holmes later said: “I was very vulnerable at the time. When it comes to birthdays, because of my debilitating condition, I always ask myself, ‘Where will I be next year and the year after that?’
NatWest helped him with the money he lost from his savings with them, but not with the rest of the money he lost in cryptocurrencies.
David Holmes’ full episode of Crisis What Crisis? is available in YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and continue your website
