COMIC Karen Dunbar has told how vaping made her lose her voice.
The comic feared her 40-date Audience With tour could be under threat after a constant cough affected her speech.
Quitting the vape didn’t help so she ended up in hospital, seeing a speech and language specialist to nurse her back to health.
The funnywoman, 53, said: “I was having problems with my voice after vaping.
“I stopped vaping but I was still coughing a lot and was continually having to clear my throat.
“I was scared because obviously my voice is my job.
“It’s instrumental to what I do. I have 40 livedates ahead of me so it’s imperative that I have my voice.”
“It went on for about a year and it was affecting my voice, which could have ultimately impacted on my job.
It comes as telly fave Karen – famed for playing a prude science in 90s sitcom Chewin’ the Fat – hailed the health service for its support, describing her treatment as “second to none”.
She said: “It wasn’t a case of, here’s some information and off you go.
“My speech therapist Rose was invested in my care and put in the time and effort to really help and support me.
“She explained thoroughly what was happening to my vocal cords and gave me clear information about what could be done with regards to treatment.
“She taught me vocal exercises and explained the importance of voice rest.
“People think voice rest is whispering or talking quietly – it’s not. It is complete silence, not speaking at all. It’s like any kind of strain, you need to rest that body part completely and not use it at all.”
She added: “The care I received has been a massive part of the healing process.
“It also put my mind at rest and gave me some assurance that nothing more serious was going on.”
SNP ministers aim to pass legislation at Holyrood to ban single-use vapes by 2025.
Measures are planned UK-wide to restrict vape flavours and how they are displayed.
Speech and language therapist Catherine McGee hailed the Scots actor during an event to celebrate NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Speech and Language Therapy service.
She said: “We were delighted to welcome Karen Dunbar to our celebration event to hear about the difference our service has made to her life.
“Many people don’t realise how different occupations can have an impact on their voice, for example, actors, teachers and faith leaders are all professional voice users who spend much of their working day speaking.
“Speech and language therapy can help people learn new techniques to help protect their voice and address concerns they may have and prevent problems from getting worse.”
Karen is set to play a string of venues across the country including in Glasgow, Fife and Stirling.