Mohamed Mamdouh did not sugarcoat the toll acting has taken on him. The Egyptian actor said he tore a ligament while shooting "الخلية" and almost left the business for good. On the show "واحد من الناس" on Al Hayat channel, Mamdouh explained that he kept filming after the injury. He did not tell the crew, wanting to avoid delays, as several Egyptian news outlets confirmed.
Even as the pain got worse and the pressure on set grew, Mamdouh kept going. He was working on both "الخلية" and "بنك الحظ" at the same time. Al Watan News reported that the heavy workload wore him down. At one point, Mamdouh even fainted from the stress.
After the incident on set, Mamdouh later underwent medical examinations in the United States, where doctors discovered significant fluid retention in his body, which helped explain his previous health issues.
His talk with Dr. Amr El-Leithy on "واحد من الناس" gave viewers a rare look at his struggles. Mamdouh admitted he once felt so lost he thought about quitting acting. He said the early days were confusing and hard. According to El Balad, this was the first time Mamdouh spoke in detail about his start, his doubts, and how close he came to giving up.
But it was not just injuries that shaped him. Mamdouh talked about his school years, saying he got into trouble for playing billiards and never cared much for law. Boxing, he said, drew him in more than legal work. On the show's "ده ولا ده" segment, he made it clear he preferred the ring to the courtroom. He also mentioned working with Akram Hosny and Ahmed Amin.
Off camera, Mamdouh keeps things simple. He called himself a modest eater who likes Egyptian classics like molokhia and moussaka. He also enjoys street food, especially koshari. His taste in food matches his down-to-earth attitude about fame.
In media previews for the same episode, it was revealed that before his rise to fame, Mamdouh worked as a coffee server in the Sayyida Zeinab district, briefly tried his hand at law for just one day, and recounted early life traumas, including burns sustained in a café fire.
Mamdouh's story is his own, but it fits with what many athletes and performers go through. As reported earlier, real breakthroughs often come to those who keep going after setbacks, whether in cue sports or on screen.
Mamdouh's honesty about his struggles and his refusal to let injury end his career show a rare kind of openness in show business. He went from nearly quitting to earning respect. His story shows that success is rarely a straight line. Sticking with it-whether in sports or the arts-makes all the difference. For anyone watching, Mamdouh's journey is a real look at what it takes to keep going and succeed.
