A TOWIE star was rushed to hospital during filming after she ignored her worrying symptoms.
Reality TV star Chloe Meadows, 33, was so “scared” of the doctors and the prospect of “having any procedure done” that she ignored symptoms of a chronic inflammatory bowel condition for around 10 years.
Chloe said she had some health checks aged 26, 10 years after her symptoms appeared, after she went on a diet at a time where she was also losing a lot of blood.
She told the podcast Bedside Manners with Dr Oscar Duke, that her mother intervened and said she should go to the doctors and get a blood test as she looked grey.
While she was out filming, after she had the blood tests, Chloe received a number of missed calls from her father who then texted her to say a doctor had advised her she should got straight to A&E because her “blood was so low”.
“I went to the hospital. I had to have all of these checks and these iron infusions and that was where it started,” she said.
Chloe also revealed that she had probably her longest flare-up after filming a nerve wracking scene on Towie.
The star first discovered blood in her stool, a symptom of ulcerative colitis, when she was 16.
“I went to a college where I boarded when I was 16.
“I was staying away from home and I was living in a student house and there was blood down the toilet”, she told Dr Oscar Duke’s Bedside Manners podcast.
“I remember I told my mum and I was like, there’s quite a lot of blood down the toilet.
“I’m not really sure what’s going on. She was of course like, go to the doctors.
“I went to the doctors, and they said that I would have to have a colonoscopy, which is a camera into the bowel.”
Chloe added: “At this point in my life, I had never really ever been to the hospital. I’d never been sick.
“I’d never had any procedure or operation. I’d never been sedated.
“I’d never had anything and the doctor referred me and I got this letter, and this is awful, but I got this letter and I just never went to the appointment because I was terrified.
It is thought to be an autoimmune condition, which means the immune system wrongly tries to attack healthy tissue.
The theory generally thought to be correct is that the immune system mistake ‘good’ bacteria inside the colon as a threat and attacks, causing the colon to become inflamed
It is unknown why the immune system can behave in this way, but it is thought to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Medication can be taken to relieve symptoms and prevent them from returning.
These include aminosalicylates, corticosteroids and immunosuppressants.
An option for some people is to have colon removal surgery.
“Then I ignored it and what would happen, which is what I realise now, is that I can go into remission, I can go into a flare-up in remission.
“It would stop for periods of time so that the blood would go away. I’d be like, ‘Oh, cool, it’s gone away, I’m better. There’s nothing wrong with me’.
“I’d go through years where it wouldn’t happen and then it would happen again, and then it would stop again.
“I would probably lie to my mum about how much it would happen because she always pestered me about it and I was like, ‘No, it’s fine’.
Chloe admitted she was scared of having any procedure done.
“I was also scared of what they were going to tell me. I was just terrified, which is not really a reason not to go to the doctor, but I think that’s just what I thought.
“I was young as well, so I would forget when there wasn’t blood down the toilet, I would completely forget.”
Ulcerative colitis is a long-term condition where the colon and rectum become inflamed, according to the NHS website.
Symptoms include recurring diarrhoea, which may contain blood, extreme tiredness, loss of appetite and weight loss.
Some people with ulcerative colitis may go for weeks or months with very mild symptoms, or none at all (remission), followed by flare-ups and relapses.
Treatment options include corticosteroids, immunosuppressants and surgery.
OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died in 2023 but her column is being kept alive by her friend and protégée Maggie Innes.
Read on to see what’s written in the stars for you today.
ARIES
March 21 to April 20
A moon of wisdom radiates reason through your chart – you can feel the effects. Instead of repeating the same mistakes in love, you recognise your worth.
At work you can change your usual response to a daily challenge and achieve a different result.
A “J” taking on a home task can unlock cash potential.
TAURUS
April 21 to May 21
In love and life you are a dream catch, and match, as you can adapt to people’s plans.
But be mindful of where this might leave your own.
Setting out stricter personal rules can be your best move.
Deals that start small or casual can grow fast so if you need expert advice, don’t delay seeking this out.
Get all the latest Taurus horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions
GEMINI
May 22 to June 21
How realistic your goals feel matters more than how big they are.
So launch a review of all ambitions first thing, and by tonight you can be feeling quietly confident.
Compliments and charm are great but, in love terms, can lead to shallow bonds.
When you mute mind games, you can follow your heart’s desire.
Get all the latest Gemini horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions
CANCER
June 22 to July 22
You are ready to unlock your deepest identity and speak or write out your dreams.
Where this takes you may be a surprise but stay with it to the end.
With Saturn helping to assess ideas and turn them into smart strategies, you can end the day with an inspiring To Do list.
Lucky names start or end with the letter “O”.
Get all the latest Cancer horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions
LEO
July 23 to August 23
Maybe you pretend you don’t need approval or assistance at home or work.
But deep down you know the opposite is true.
Your all-star move is to show you are not invincible and see what happens.
Your number one ambition may seem the most complicated but you are more than ready, and able, for a challenge.
Get all the latest Leo horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions
VIRGO
August 24 to September 22
A new home route may not be an easy ride but you have the ability to stay on board and make it work.
But this time, consider who you should bring with you.
Has someone who leans too hard on your happiness taken up enough of your time?
Passion is Mars-volatile and can erupt when you least expect it.
Get all the latest Virgo horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions
LIBRA
September 23 to October 23
A friend of a friend who loves to invent new or fun things can be a great partner in so many ways – not just business.
So if you get a chance to connect, take it.
If you’re attached, Venus boosts body language and partners send and receive thrilling secret messages.
Lucky numbers look back to a previous postcode.
Get all the latest Libra horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions
The traditional dates used by Mystic Meg for each sign are below.
SCORPIO
October 24 to November 22
A time of turning away from cash questions and hoping for the best is over.
Now you can face them and work through them at your own pace so you know you can stay on track.
There is deep confidence in making choices, instead of waiting and watching.
An old toy or childhood favourite can unlock secret value.
Get all the latest Scorpio horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions
SAGITTARIUS
November 23 to December 21
Jupiter’s zodiac action station supports you to do what you need to do and be who you really are, rather than what others decide.
A partnership, at work or home, can rebalance and feel more equal.
You have mixed feelings about a friend’s news but do focus on your private connection, not public commentary.
Get all the latest Sagittarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions
CAPRICORN
December 22 to January 20
A moon of sharp instincts and the kind of emotional detective skills that can change lives is your key chart focus.
So if you sense someone is hiding something, or needs something, ask the questions that come to your mind.
Jupiter’s new peace-maker position can link you to a grumpy familiar – or famous – name.
Get all the latest Capricorn horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions
AQUARIUS
January 21 to February 18
Maybe the actions or reactions of a group make no sense right now – but your chart suggests a breakthrough on the horizon, so try to stay involved for now.
But set a deadline for when you need to see some movement.
Prizes with a “J” connection and passion that starts with a joke can both brighten your day.
Get all the latest Aquarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions
PISCES
February 19 to March 20
Love at first sight, for a person or perhaps a property, can be a key factor.
A routine Tuesday trip takes you towards a dream discovery.
Or you can experience sudden strong feelings closer to home for someone you think you know well.
The next steps are bold but clear.
Luck writes a set of numbers backwards.
Get all the latest Pisces horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions
WHAT an incredible waste of time and money — and what a shocking way to treat our vulnerable elderly.
Labour insisted they HAD to remove winter fuel payments from OAPs to fill a financial black hole left by the Tories, which subsequently proved to be non-existent.
Just months later, the red-faced Chancellor Rachel Reeves is having to hand it back to nine million pensioners.
The whole fiasco — and the anxiety it has caused older folk — has saved a paltry £450million.
That’s less than a TENTH of what is spent housing migrants in hotels, and a tiny fraction of the current welfare bill.
But the price in terms of the Government’s reputation for competence in the public’s eyes is likely to be much higher.
Winter fuel was not the only mistake of Labour’s first months in power.
The National Insurance rise on employees threatens to push up prices and lead to job losses.
The workers’ rights bill will make running a business harder still.
Adding VAT on private schools was supposed to free up money for new teachers in state schools — but recruitment targets will likely be missed.
Meanwhile, we still don’t know how yesterday’s screeching U-turn will be paid for, with tax rises on the cards.
How Labour moves on from this self-inflicted fiasco will be key to its fortunes . . . and our pockets.
CAN we ever have a hope of making our own decisions on immigration while Britain is signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights?
Experts say plans to increase income thresholds for people applying for visas for family members are too tough and therefore unlawful.
No matter what lever the Government tries to pull, the ECHR — which also stops us deporting dangerous foreign criminals — is almost guaranteed to gum up the works.
Even soft-touch Lib Dem boss Ed Davey now agrees reform is needed.
So what is staying the Prime Minister’s hand?
IN a chilling warning, Nato boss Mark Rutte says Brits had “better learn to speak Russian” if Sir Keir Starmer isn’t prepared to spend more on defence.
Rutte’s view is that members of the alliance should be spending five per cent of GDP.
The PM won’t even say how we will get to three per cent.
It’s no good just speaking the language of national security.
With Moscow becoming more menacing by the day, it’s time for Number Ten to put its money where its mouth is.
