Strictly Come Dancing’s Saffron Barker was rushed to hospital amid concerns she had contracted a “tropical disease”.
The 24 year old, who became the first female social media star to grace the BBC One show in 2019, following Joe Suggs’ stint in 2018, was paired with AJ Pritchard. She gained fame through her YouTube channel, amassing over two million subscribers, and fans have been tracking her life on Instagram and TikTok since her departure from the dance show five years ago.
However, Saffron caused worry among her dedicated followers when she used Instagram to share health updates after a terrifying hospital visit. Sharing a picture of herself resting in bed, she penned: “Thank you so much for all your well wishes, after a week I finally feel somewhat normal again. The doctors thought I’d caught a tropical disease from a mosquito when I was away.”
Malaria, a common yet severe infection transmitted by mosquitoes, can present symptoms six to 10 days post-bite. “I had all the symptoms being, rashes all over my body, headache, body aches, shooting pains in my body, temperature, sore throat and ears etc,” Saffron added.
Saffron shared a concerning image on her Instagram Story of a needle drip in her arm while at the hospital, assuring fans she did not have malaria. “After getting my bloods taken turns out I didn’t have that but my white blood cells were half the number they should be so very low and therefore my whole body was trying to fight the infection,” she detailed, reports the Mirror.
She also posted a video showing the rash that had spread across her arms.
Her followers breathed a sigh of relief when Saffron later posted a photo from the bath, indicating her recovery. “Today is the first day I have woken up and they are settling so feeling grateful,” she expressed.
This wasn’t her first hospital visit of the year; she previously sought medical attention after a skiing accident in January.
In August, Saffron found herself having to address speculation surrounding her recent weight loss. After returning from a six-week acting course in the US, she faced unfounded rumours about her noticeably slimmer appearance.
The star opened up about her weight loss, saying in a video: “I think it’s quite obvious that I’ve lost a lot of weight recently – well I say recently, but it’s been a gradual thing. My diet changed when I went to LA, for all the better.
“I don’t eat anywhere near as much sugar as I used to eat and I never felt so much better for it in my life,” adding, “I’ve actually worked really hard, frickin’ hard. Apparently nowadays you can’t lose weight without getting liposuction or being on Ozempic. It’s so frustrating, this is the only time I’m going to address it.”
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