This Morning star Michelle Elman revealed she was urgently rushed to hospital in the middle of the night, having to face the ordeal alone. Michelle, who has appeared on the ITV programme sharing her expertise about relationships, admitted that “life took a turn” as she candidly opened up about the incident to her 278,000 followers. Alongside a hospital bed selfie, Michelle began: “Well life took a turn. There are so many things I love about being single but one thing that’s absolute pants is going to AandE alone in the middle of the night.”
She disclosed her vulnerability over having no one with her, saying: “Not having family in the country, number 1 bestie or a partner means I often struggle to even list an emergency contact.” Elaborating on the drive behind her book, Bad Friend, she continued: “It’s one of the reasons I’m so passionate about Bad Friend, you might have a whole bunch of friends to invite to your birthday but how many do you have who you can call at midnight to come with you to AandE?
“The irony is not lost on me that my last post was saying how this year was turning out to be my best year yet. Even two days ago, I was being asked about my past surgeries and I said I’d been on such a good streak.”
Sharing her mantra for managing chronic illness, she advised: “Live as much life as you can between the hospitalisations. And right now, I really really mean it”.
The relationship guru wrapped up her post with heartfelt thanks to the NHS staff, saying: “PS so grateful for the NHS, every person was so kind and patient especially for midnight.”
Although she kept the reasons for her hospital visit private, Michelle has been open about her health battles in the past, including a terrifying episode from her youth. She hauntingly recounted feeling like she was “floating above her body” after she flat-lined at just 11-years-old.
Born with a brain tumour and hydrocephalus, which is an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, Michelle underwent surgery that allowed doctors to perform necessary tests. A few years back, while appearing on Loose Women, she spoke candidly about her brush with death, describing it as “peaceful and calm”.
She shared: “I still remember floating above my bed. What’s really nice to know is it’s a really calm sensation when you die, and that’s what I’d like to tell people because it gives you a bit of solace that even in the last moments it’s really peaceful and really calm.”
Michelle recounted an incident that confused her sense of time, admitting, “In my head it was five minutes but apparently it was a few seconds. I remember everything that happened but apparently my eyes were closed.”
She acknowledged: “I didn’t talk about it for years but it makes me sound a bit crazy.”
Her life has been marked by repeated medical challenges, with 15 hospitalisations and surgeries before she even turned 20. These surgeries were to address serious issues such as an obstructed bowel and a perforated intestine.
Despite the lasting reminders of her surgical history, Michelle is not dismayed. Reflecting on her scars in a conversation with The Sun Online, she explained: “When you grow up with scars like mine, there is a point in your childhood when you realise your body is different to everyone else’s.
“My moment was when I was aged 10. Up until that point, I didn’t notice the difference between my stomach and my brother’s.”
Reflecting on the reactions she received as a child, Michelle said: “I realised that when I was younger, people’s looks of shock, pity and horror weren’t really about my appearance, they were about how an 11 year old girl could have gone through so much.
“They weren’t reacting to my body because it was ugly, they were reacting to my story because it happens to be a sad one – and one that is painted on my body. Now when people ask me why I love my scars, my answer is simple: because they are mine.”
She added: “I only get one body and the body that I have deserves love. My scars have saved my life. I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for them.”
