How TV heartthrob Chad Michael Murray's 'toned' abs nearly killed him

Chad Michael Murray in Riverdale. Photo / CW via Instagram

Chad Michael Murray almost died when he was 15 because his abs were too tight.

The One Tree Hill star has recalled how doctors struggled to find out what was happening to him because of his toned physique, as his stomach "didn't expand" when he started bleeding.

Chad was suffering from twisted intestines and his parents even had a priest in the room because it was fatal.

Appearing on SiriusXM, the Freaky Friday star said: "They didn't know what was wrong. This sounds so stupid — and trust me, I'm not on an ego trip when I say this — but because I was in physical good condition, my abdomen was tight and when I started bleeding internally, my stomach didn't expand.

"Basically, my abs kept it flat so the doctors couldn't tell I was bleeding. They saw my red and white blood cells dropping but they didn't know where it was going.

"I almost died. They had a priest at the end of my bed. I remember, it was the only time I ever saw my dad cry — well, one of two times."

Chad's life was saved by a nurse who went "against the grain" and he stayed in touch with her for years after.

He recalled: "[She] saved my life that night. Her name was Sandy, I'll never forget her, we took her chocolates for years after until she moved hospitals.

"But she got four units of blood and saved my life that night, against the grain. She just did it. She locked the door, gave me four units of blood, and saved my life."

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We've all done embarrassing things... #TBT 18 years old and my 1st and only speedo.

A post shared by Chad Murray (@chadmichaelmurray) on Jul 7, 2016 at 12:27pm PDT

The 38-year-old star - who has two young children with his wife Sarah Roemer - also shared how watching hours of television and movies whilst he was recovering made him want to become an actor.

He said: "The one thing that really saved me from that moment in life where I missed Christmas and I missed New Years was television and film.These movies and television would be on and I would be like, 'I want to do that man. I want to give people something to smile about.

"That's what I want to do. I want to entertain so people can stop worrying about the mundane aspects of life.'Maybe you're going through something tough, I want to pull you out of it for two hours."

-Bang! Showbiz