Celeb guru: Laura Crane

Laura Crane opens up about her recent life-threatening ordeal with sepsis, and suffering from bulimia for five years

She shocked fans when she revealed she’d been admitted to hospital after contracting sepsis in November last year. Three months on, Love Island star Laura Crane admits she feels lucky to be alive. While she’s made a full recovery from sepsis – a severe blood infection that can lead to organ failure – the 23 year old says she was unaware how close to death she had come.

Speaking about her terrifying ordeal, she explains, “I woke up one morning with the most awful stomach ache. I mistook it for period pains, but as the day went on, my temperature went crazily high and I felt like my heart was going to burst through my chest. I was becoming delirious, I had no concept of time and I was forgetting words.”

PHYSICAL TOLL

If her mum hadn’t come to her rescue, Laura acknowledges her life would have been at risk. “My mum suspected something was wrong because I wasn’t responding to texts. If she hadn’t rushed me to A&E, I would have stayed in bed thinking I had flu. I know I wouldn’t be here now as it would only have got worse. Sepsis can spread quickly through your body and you need to act fast,” she says.

It took four days to figure out where her infection had started from, but doctors discovered a 19cm abscess on her ovaries and she underwent a keyhole operation to drain the fluid. While the illness took its toll physically, Laura admits she did everything in her power to remain positive.

“I cried for the first few days because I didn’t understand what was happening and I didn’t think I’d get better. Eventually, the only thing that got me through was knowing I’ve been seriously ill before and pulled through.”

The professional surfer has been open about suffering with bulimia for five years from the age of 16, and she reveals she drew strength from overcoming her weight battle. She says, “I’ve had an eating disorder and I was low for a long while. I was superskinny with zero fat and living on an empty tank. I became an athlete aged 12 and started modelling too, and I thought I had to be skinny to succeed in my career.

POSITIVE THINKING

“It was a long process, but my parents had me move back home to Devon. I came off social media and learned to love my body from the inside out.”

And Laura says she used similar coping techniques after being diagnosed with sepsis.

She says, “I’m a huge believer in positive thinking. I was in hospital for ten days and I put all my energy into getting better and tried not to think negatively. I watched tons of positive affirmation videos to fill me with optimism and I even did bouts of meditation.”

Now, she’s determined to look on the bright side. She explains, “I’ve been through a lot but, in some ways, I’m grateful for being so ill because it’s taught me to my appreciate my body and to take better care of it.” Laura stars on Bestfit TV, Mondays at 8pm, Free Sports, Free View, Sky and Virgin