Daily Mail

Bacon: The NHS saved me from brink of death

- By Faye White Showbusine­ss Reporter

RichaRd Bacon has praised the NhS for saving him after he ‘nearly died’ from a mystery lung infection.

doctors were forced to put the former Blue Peter star in a medically-induced coma for six days as he fought for his life in hospital.

Yesterday the 42-year-old said he had been struck by a ‘double chest infection’, which doctors were yet to identify, adding: ‘i didn’t die because i’m on the NhS.’

Bacon, who lives in Los angeles, was taken ill on a flight from the US to the UK earlier this month with suspected pneumonia. a photo posted online showed the former 5Live presenter hooked up to multiple wires.

after his condition worsened, doctors at Lewisham hospital in south-east London put him in a coma to allow his body to fight the infection. The father-of-two finally awoke on Friday, and is now in recovery.

Yesterday he took to Twitter, saying: ‘So i did six days straight in a coma. Been here another four since. it’s a yet unidentifi­ed double chest infection. i nearly died. at one point, as i was run down a hallway to icU at midnight ... i thought, “this is it”.’

he added: ‘This is how good Lewisham hospital is. i walked in off the street simply complainin­g of being short of breath. Within 90 minutes they had placed me into a lifesaving six day coma #VivaTheNhS’

 ??  ?? Alive: Richard Bacon
Alive: Richard Bacon

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom