EastEnders star John Bardon is reportedly recovering from his stroke with the help of music therapy sessions, said to include country hits. The actor, who plays Jim Branning in the soap, suffered a stroke in June 2007, but his wife Edna has said he is making 'steady progress'. She told The Sun: "He attends music therapy classes three times a week and will be back on screen in EastEnders later this month." According to the newspaper, country star Kenny Rogers is a popular choice during the therapy sessions, which encourage stroke victims to sing along to tunes and can help a patient's memory and speech. Edna said her husband can now walk with a stick and no longer uses a hospital bed at home. John appears in EastEnders when he can, but his speech has been difficult. However, he has reportedly improved enough to film 'major scenes' with on-screen wife Dot, played by June Brown, which will be shown after the show's 25th anniversary this month. A spokesman for the soap said: "John has been back filming scenes at EastEnders for some time now and it is fantastic to have him back on set. "As long as John is fit and happy he will continue to be part of the show." Click here to watch whatsontv.co.uk's weekly soaps video preview, the Soap Scoop
