A dad-of-five who fell down the stairs nine days ago remains unconscious in hospital - and doctors don't know why he isn't waking up.

Simon Norton, 40, was found by wife Katie following the fall at their home in Walmer, near Deal.

The childhood sweethearts only wed three months ago and have 11 children between them.

But now the family's world has been turned upside down as they anxiously wait to see whether he will regain consciousness.

Mrs Norton, 40, told KentOnline she and her husband had been out with friends to watch the England match against France last Saturday just hours before the incident.

"He wasn’t feeling well throughout the day and he didn’t want to go and watch the football really, but we were meeting up with our friends so we went there just for the match," she said.

"They gave us a lift home and I think we were in bed by 10pm.

"At 3am he got up to go to the toilet and five minutes later I heard this massive bang and so I got out of bed and found him unconscious at the bottom of the stairs.

"I thought he was playing a joke on me at first because he is such a practical joker.

"He is always jumping out at me, pretending he is asleep and scaring me, so I thought he was messing around - but I couldn’t wake him up so I rang the ambulance."

Paramedics arrived an hour later and Mr Norton was taken to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford where he has been for the past nine days.

"I thought it would just be a concussion but they pulled me to one side to say he was in an induced coma," Mrs Norton said.

"All his tests kept coming back clear. Everything was showing up perfect, except they didn't know why he wasn’t waking up.

"We have now been told he has some pinprick bleeds on the brain and he has some damage to the frontal lobe."

Mrs Norton is praying the fall does not result in any lasting damage.

"He is so funny and caring, and he is so romantic - so if he loses some of his personality, it would be devastating," she said.

"He has had quite bad headaches for a few months now and he was undergoing tests to find out what might be causing it.

"I feel like I'm stuck in limbo."

Mr Norton was taken out of the coma on Monday but doctors are trying to find out why he is still unconscious.

The couple, who between them also have a grandson, as well as a granddaughter on the way, have only been married since September and have been together for just over a year.

They first met when they were aged 13 at Castle Community College in Deal, which is now Goodwin Academy.

For the past 21 years Arsenal fan Mr Norton has worked at St Anselm's Nursing Home in Walmer as a carer, a job which he loves.

To support the family financially while he is out of work, friends have set up a Go Fund Me page.

So far more than £1,500 has been raised in just four days.

The cash will help towards the cost of travelling to the hospital each day and supporting Mrs Norton and the children.