Stuart speaks with rare authority on blast injuries, PTSD, and mental health—subjects that very nearly cost him his life.
While working on the banks of the Danube in Hungary, he suffers a devastating blast injury caused by a large-scale special effect. At first, the damage is not fully understood. But over the following six months, his health deteriorates. His behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, marked by emotional outbursts that strain both his personal and professional life, until his wife ultimately calls for an intervention.
He is diagnosed with severe PTSD and placed into immediate treatment. Yet the diagnosis only tells part of the story. More than a year later, as his seizures worsen, a brain scan at St Thomas’ Hospital reveals the true extent of his injuries—injuries that will eventually require brain surgery. The pain is real. The seizures are real. What he experiences is neither imagined nor weakness, but the result of profound physical and psychological trauma.
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Despite intensive therapy and a heavy regimen of medication, his condition reaches a critical point. When he effectively maxes out on what the drugs can control, the situation becomes an emergency. He undergoes urgent brain surgery at the specialist brain unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
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That operation marks a decisive turning point.
Since the surgery, Stuart is 100% well—free from the seizures that once dominated his life, and able to move forward with clarity, strength, and purpose.
Recovery demands extraordinary effort. Eighteen months of intensive therapy require relentless honesty—long hours of writing, reflection, and revisiting deeply buried memories. It means confronting trauma head-on, often in the first person, reliving events and emotions that are as raw as the day they occurred.
Stuart works with an exceptional therapist, Paul, who recognises not only the depth of his trauma but also the richness of his life experience. Paul encourages him to write, helping him rediscover meaning and perspective, and to see that his story is not defined solely by injury, but by resilience. Stuart credits him not only with his recovery, but with his survival—and ultimately, with his writing.
He goes on to become a compelling and sought-after speaker aboard cruise ships—a man who has “died” countless times on screen, yet has come back from the brink in real life. His talks combine hard-earned insight with dark humour, honesty, and humanity.
His experiences also inform his writing. Characters such as Kieron Philips—a former soldier navigating life after service—and Dwight Ritter—a deeply scarred but determined investigator—are shaped by the realities Stuart has witnessed and lived through. These are not abstract creations, but reflections of real struggles faced by real people. Through them, he explores trauma, resilience, and the quiet determination to keep going despite everything.
Beyond storytelling, Stuart brings a unique professional perspective to podcast conversations. Having designed large-scale accidents and action sequences for film, he understands risk, safety, and accountability at the highest level. He also speaks at festivals and Health and Safety conferences, offering insight into how catastrophic events are constructed for the screen—and how real-world consequences must be managed, documented, and learned from.
As a podcast guest, Stuart does not speak from theory alone. He speaks from lived experience—of trauma, survival, and full recovery. His story resonates because it is honest, unvarnished, and deeply human, offering audiences not just understanding, but genuine hope.
To request Stuart St Paul for your podcast email us here [email protected]
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Agent: Lewis Ray & Isabelle Lee at CHAMPIONS
WHAT THEY SAY
We really enjoyed having you speak at the event (Health & Safety conference) and you were very well-received! We will definitely keep you in mind for future events ☺ Stepahanie Cohen, Account Director. Assured Events
Thank you so much for your speech at the USHA dinner. Thank you in particular for tailoring it to our membership and making it relevant. The feedback I have received so far is that people found your session hugely enjoyable and really appreciated the link to their day job. Neil Budworth. Chair, USHA.
