How my near-death experience led to a career in comedy

Russ Lee begins by reflecting on the day he had a brain haemorrhage.

He said he woke up on Christmas Day - 25 December 2024 - with the "worst headache". He admitted he thought he was still feeling hungover after a few drinks with friends watching boxer Oleksandr Usyk defeat Tyson Fury days earlier.

"I was cooking dinner for 16 people with a bag of frozen chips wrapped round my head," Russ said.

But as the festive celebrations got under way, Russ said he began to deteriorate and ended up being rushed to hospital.

Russ was treated in hospital for eight days, and was bedridden at home for a month while he recovered.

He said a neurologist told him "one in three" died from similar brain haemorrhages, so considered himself "very, very lucky".

Having a near-death experience led Russ to the realisation he had "a second chance".

When his wife Ruth asked him in hospital, "what are you going to do with your life now?"

He said: "I'm going to have a go at stand-up comedy.

"I never had any aspirations to go into comedy - but I always enjoyed making people laugh."

The 46-year-old father of three, who was born in Bulwell, Nottingham, and now lives in Kirkby-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, said he began selling used cars when he was 15 years old and was too busy with "life, working, paying bills, being a dad, running a house" to consider embarking on a career as a stand-up comedian.

But after spending a week in hospital and being told by medics he was "very lucky to survive", he said it was the realisation that "tomorrow is not guaranteed."

"If you want to do something, do it now," he said. "Get on with it."

Russ promptly made his debut in stand-up comedy in May 2025 at the Leicester Comedy Club - run by Funhouse Comedy Clubs - at the Kayal restaurant.

New comedians have five minutes of stand-up to make audiences laugh without being voted off by audience members, who act as judges throughout their set.

If they make it through without being voted off, they go into the final and perform for 60 seconds.

The audience then decide by a round of applause who the winner is.

"I didn't have one minute of material, so I just spoke to the crowd for one minute and then I won it," Russ said.

Funhouse Comedy promoter, comedian and compere Spiky Mike, who runs the event, remembers Russ's gig.

"He [Russ] definitely swore too much," he said. "But he was very bubbly, a lot of energy and a very likeable personality.

"He's certainly got the potential to do well - he's certainly got the kind of personality that audiences will like."

Upon reflection, Russ agreed. "I did swear a bit too much," he said. "I swear now where it's warranted and I've learnt that.

"It was brilliant. I thought I was going to be on Live at the Apollo a week later. I thought agents would come knocking straight away.

"But unbeknownst to me I'm nowhere near in stand-up where I want to be yet, but I'm a million miles from where I first started.

"It is an art form that takes years to learn properly."

Reflecting on his own comedic style, Russ said: "I love crowd work. I love talking to the crowd.

"To be honest with you, I'm still finding my comedy voice - which is not a thing I knew existed - but yeah, definitely into my crowd work."

Keen to get more time performing in front of crowds, Russ and Ruth bought a camper van which has been dubbed the "comedy camper van".

"We incorporate travelling alongside doing the comedy, so it makes it more of journey rather than a destination," Russ said.

He said he had now performed in more than 200 shows all over the country.

However, Russ has been forced to cancel some planned upcoming shows after being diagnosed with skin cancer nearly a month ago.

He said he would have to have an operation before follow-up appointments and scans, with his prognosis currently unclear.

When he was told of his cancer diagnosis, he couldn't help but crack a joke to the nurse.

Laughing, he said: "I asked her if I'd lose my hair, and she didn't know where to put her face.

"I don't think there's anything in life you can't have a giggle with personally.

"That's how I deal with things like that."

For now, Russ is focusing on organising a fundraising gig for Summits Up, a mental health and suicide prevention charity.

Russ explained that over six weeks, 10 people associated with the charity are learning how to do stand-up.

They will each perform a five-minute set in front of friends, family and colleagues on 24 July at K-TWO, inside the NG-ONE nightclub in Nottingham.

Russ said: "Someone said to me quite recently, 'you're really unlucky you've had a brain haemorrhage and now you've got cancer'.

"I said I'm one the luckiest people in the world, because I survived that and I've got brilliant friends and brilliant family around me."

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