Noel Fitzpatrick says he felt his best friend’s heart stop in his hands

Irish veterinary surgeon Noel Fitzpatrick found fame when The Supervet hit screens in 2014 and soon became a household name.

The hugely successful Channel 4 show follows the work of Noel as he works on some of the hardest cases to cure in beloved pets others would consider beyond saving.

The moving programme captures the candid emotions from Noel’s veterinary surgery in Surrey.

For his vast work, Noel has been regarded as one of the best veterinarians, and in 2009 he became the first to successfully apply an amputation prosthesis to a cat who had lost two feet in an accident.

But what has the Supervet’s life been outside of his career? Express.co.uk has rounded up some interesting facts about his life, from his childhood to his links to royalty.

Childhood

Noel was born in December 13, 1967 in Ballyfin, County Laois, Ireland.

In a memoir he released last year, the vet opened up about how he had been sexually assaulted as a child by a male farmhand on his family’s farm.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast in 2022, he explained: “I sustained prolonged sexual abuse as a child and I had been running from that spectre all my life and I have met a few other people in a similar situation.

“I know this may be traumatising for some people watching this, but I think it’s critically important.

“So having met those people and seeing the consequences of that and having identified within myself a darkness that I have sublimated for 40 years animals became my best friends because I didn’t trust humans.”

Royal connections

Noel attended the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.

His talent and dedication to his career has earned him a few celebrity clients, and in 2017 he treated Meghan’s dog, Guy, after he broke two of his legs.

Noel admitted he did go but ended up leaving early.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he explained he felt “honoured” to be invited, but added: “After the service, there was a big get-together.

“Prince Charles gave a few words and Elton played a bit on piano and it was all very nice. There were canapés.

“It was a magnificent occasion and also incredibly humbling. I was thinking, ‘What is a farmer’s son doing here? What am I doing here?’

“It was a real case of imposter syndrome.”

Acting career

Outside of his veterinary career, Noel has a keen interest in acting.

He has appeared in two episodes of classic drama Heartbeat, once in January 2000 and again in November 2002.

He has also appeared in Casualty, Wildlife SOS, London’s Burning and The Bill.

Noel’s first film role was in horror film The Devil’s Tattoo in 2003.

Source: Read Full Article