A man who "couldn't draw basic shapes" has told how he woke up in hospital after a stroke with an incredible new talent for painting.

Wayne Sheppard, 47, from Plumstead, was admitted to Guy’s Hospital in December 2016 after he collapsed at work.

However, he now spends at least 10 hours a day creating quirky works of art and his home is stuffed with canvases which he has sold for up to £400 apiece.

His collapse was caused by a stroke, with his first CT scan revealing a mass on Wayne's left kidney along with smaller masses on his lungs, spleen and liver.

Hours later doctors diagnosed him with Stage 4 non-hodgkin lymphoma, a rare cancer of the blood and the immune system.

Wayne told News Shopper his friends and family have been amazingly supportive during his time of need.

Once a "total clutz", his stroke damaged the side of his brain associated with creativity, leaving him with a passion and talent for fine art he never had before.

Wayne said: "I was never able to draw before, I even struggled to draw the basics, like a circle and a square, and now all of a sudden people are paying me to draw them."

Wayne, who worked as a hospital repairman before he became ill, said it was very overwhelming to get handed a cancer diagnosis and be told he has suffered a stroke.

Wayne used his new hobby as a means of coping with his devastating diagnosis but occasionally sells his artwork online and at markets, for between £30 and £400.

"My favourite is the Mona Lisa painting which so happened to be my most expensive piece. I sold it for £400 at Greenwich Market one weekend.

"People also pick up on the David Bowie one which I drew freehand in just a couple of days."

In a further twist, Wayne, who was born in Cape Town, South Africa, woke up to find his accent had changed in early 2017.

"I woke up and started speaking in this weird language, almost like tongue.

"Throughout the day is slowly turned into this weird mix of Northern Irish, Welsh and Scouse mix which I still have now.

"I go for chemotherapy every eight weeks which can be exhausting and is a reminder I have this terminal cancer."

Wayne’s luck continued to let him down, in the space of a year he was diagnosed with cancer, he went through a breakup and had to get his head around his condition.

Wayne said: "But painting has given me a purpose."

Dr David Alexander Dickie, from the University of Glasgow's Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, said: "As paradoxical as it may seem, damage to certain areas of the brain, for example in the frontal lobe, may limit inhibitory control and allow creative processes to flourish.

"However, I would NOT recommend any budding artists attempt to damage their frontal lobe, through substance abuse or other means, as these cases are extremely rare."