Hydrangea Problem

I have a 10 year old white hydrangea on a south facing wall that had to be cut back to nearly ground level and then was severely trampled on by builders last winter, in fact it's a wonder it's still alive! Anyway, it has grown again and is fairly bushy, about 2' tall but has not flowered at all this year although I see a small head forming now. The main problem though is that a lot of the leaves have become brown and very dry, curly at the edges, although they are not falling. Should I take them off or just leave it and keep my fingers crossed for next year?