The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Bacon thanks staff as he leaves hospital
Showbiz: Radio presenter was put in medically induced coma ‘Reality TV shows leading to stress’
Richard Bacon has left hospital days after coming out of a medically induced coma.
The former Blue Peter presenter emerged from University Hospital Lewisham in south-east London yesterday, accompanied by his wife Rebecca and walking with the aid of a frame.
The 42-year-old fell ill while flying to Britain from the US and was taken off the plane in a wheelchair before being admitted to hospital two weeks ago.
He was placed in a medically induced coma and, last week, his
“Iwillmissthe50 staffofLewisham Hospital who saved my life ”
spokesman said he was “improving all the time”.
Before leaving the ward, Bacon tweeted that he was “cleared for take off ”, along with a picture of his hospital bed.
He added: “Gone within the hour. I don’t know whether I see this as the bed I nearly died in or the bed that saved my life.
“Either way. I won’t miss it. But I will miss the 50 staff of Lewisham Hospital who definitely saved my life. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.”
On Wednesday, the radio and TV presenter marked his last full day in hospital and, paying tribute to Rebecca, said: “How will I ever thank her?”
He added: “I was in a coma for nine or 10 nights (I just learned). That’s a lot of staring at your husband and his pipes. And a lot of worry.”
He shared a picture of his hand intertwined with his wife’s on the bed. Ahead of being discharged, Bacon also revealed that he had “last-day visitors” – his two children, Ivy and Arthur.
In a post on his Instagram story, he revealed they were “kept away” while he was on life support, because it was “not my best look”.
Earlier this week, Bacon said in tweets which were later deleted that he had “nearly died”.
He had written: “So, I did six days straight in a coma. Been here another four since.
“It’s an (as) yet unidentified double chest infection. I nearly died.
“At one point, as I was run down a hallway to ICU (an intensive care unit) at midnight, with a massive needle jammed in my chest – bit like Pulp Fiction – I thought, ‘This is it’.”
He was full of praise for the NHS and Lewisham Hospital.
He tweeted: “Low on energy but I love and admire all the team LEWISHAM HOSPITAL. VivaTheNHS.” Appearance-related stress has soared among young women, likely cultivated by social media and reality TV shows such as Love Island, a survey suggests.
More than four in 10 women aged 16 to 24 have had stress related to their appearance this year, up from 26% in 2016, according to analysts Mintel.
The firm’s Hera Crossan said: “Constant exposure to unrealistic ideals of beauty is having a strong impact on young women.”