Loose Women star, Andrea McLean, was rushed to hospital after collapsing at home in a terrifying start to the year. The presenter, 55, revealed she was "in a lot of pain" after being diagnosed with severe pneumonia, acute kidney injury and sepsis. Opening up about the ordeal, Andrea, who hosted Loose Women until 2020, described how she "collapsed in the bathroom" and "lay there for an hour before my husband [Nick Feeney] found me.".
She told her followers on Instagram: "We rang the GP who told us to call 999 immediately. The ambulance team were amazing. My blood pressure was so low I couldn’t stand, and I was in a lot of pain. To be honest, I was barely aware of what was happening, other than trying to be helpful. "Our bedroom is in the loft, up a steep, narrow flight of stairs, which meant the stretcher couldn’t turn, so getting me out was challenging. We eventually got out the house, and I can now say with confidence that travelling in the back of an ambulance isn’t as much fun as you think it would be.".
Andrea added: "I can’t remember much about A&E other than it was thorough. Questions, scans, lots of needles, and possibly the most painful insertion of a catheter ever experienced. Then my X-ray and CT scans came back. I had severe pneumonia, Acute Kidney Injury and sepsis. Things happened quickly; drips, super-strong antibiotics via IV and orally, and I was transferred to the Emergency Assessment Ward.".
Revealing she spent two nights on the ward, the host described her "sensory overload" including the "smell of poo", sharing: "[It was] a sensory overload with the screams, shouting and sound and smell of poo from people losing control of their bowels.". After medics informed Andrea she had lost 80 per cent capacity in one of her lungs, she was put on morphine. Thankfully, her husband, Nick, visited her twice a day on the ward, along with the presenter's daughter.
Although now discharged from hospital, Andrea said her life was still being impacted and is "still not well enough to handle normal stuff". Admitting she "still hates January", she said: "It’s now February, and I’m still not well enough to handle normal stuff like getting up and rushing out the door to do the jobs I’d been booked to do, because every part of that process would end with me falling down, or at the very least sitting on a tube station floor feeling very unwell and embarrassed at the stares.
"I’m still having ‘funny turns’ while out for a walk, or attempting the mildest of exercise." She concluded: "It means I haven’t really started 2025 yet.". WHATSAPP GROUP: Be first to get the juiciest celebrity news to your phone by joining our Celebs WhatsApp here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
