Isabelle Silbery, a star of the Australian version of Gogglebox, has suffered a serious injury after a horse riding accident left her with a fractured spine.
The reality TV personality, who appears on the show alongside her infant daughter, Ruby, and her mother, Kerry, recently enjoyed a luxury trip to Fiji with her husband, Alex Richards. However, their idyllic getaway took a terrifying turn when Isabelle was thrown from her horse during an excursion on the remote Turtle Island. With help miles away, she had to be airlifted to hospital where tests revealed the extent of her injuries.
Over the weekend, Isabelle shared details of her ordeal on Instagram, posting: “Turns out being on a remote island is bloody scary when you have a horse riding accident, are in immense pain and don’t know how serious things are! “.
She recounted her ordeal, saying: “A medical evacuation helicopter was only available during daylight hours so I was carried by local Fijians on a stretcher 2km up a hill in the dark, onto a boat and to my hut. They were all barefoot in the scorching heat, holding my hand and reassuring me I would be okay.
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She praised the locals for their care, noting that they had a doctor on call who provided pain relief throughout the night and even sat on the beachfront outside her hut to ensure she didn’t need anything. Visuals of the incident show Isabelle being transported on a stretcher to a helicopter, while other images capture the attentive people around her providing assistance, reports the Mirror.
She added: “These people were absolute angels. Not to mention my husband who helped me wee into a glass… the kind of commitment that were not in our vows.”
After being airlifted to the mainland for scans, it was confirmed that she had fractured her spine, narrowly avoiding a more severe outcome. Now back in Melbourne, the reality star is on the mend from her injuries.
She concluded with a cautionary message: “I’m home safely with a very large bill so a PSA to check your travel insurance as ours conveniently didn’t cover most activities you would do on a holiday, including kayaking, snorkeling, bike riding and of course… horse riding.”
Supportive messages poured in for the celebrity, with fans eager to offer their well-wishes for a swift and complete recovery. One user sent comforting words: “sending love … the fijian people are angels.”
Another expressed relief: “Izzzzzzz. Im so glad you’re ok. My god what a fright.”
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