Charlie Webster shares first coma picture two years after near-death malaria ordeal

Charlie Webster shared this picture of her in a coma on life support in a Rio hospital
@CharlieCW/Twitter
James Morris10 August 2018

TV presenter Charlie Webster has shared the first picture of her in a coma on life support, two years after she nearly died from malaria.

Ms Webster, 35, also revealed for the first time her mental health battles during her recovery.

She tweeted: “I had less than 24 hours to live, it was unlikely I’d survive the night. They told my mum I was likely brain damaged.

“This time last year I was still struggling with my physical health & very much so my mental health.”

Former Sky Sports presenter Ms Webster contracted the disease during a 3,000-mile cycle ride from London to Rio during the 2016 Olympics.

A few days after arriving in the Brazilian city, she fell ill and was admitted to hospital through suspected dehydration. But she had actually contracted a rare form of malaria.

Charlie Webster pictured in May, attending the NHS Heroes Awards at the London Hilton in Park Lane ( Ian West/PA)
Ian West/PA

Two years on, she said on Friday: “Today feels weird, hard to describe, it floods back memories of the pain and also the heartbreak of my mum and brothers, but I have a big smile on my face that I survived and I’m still surviving.

“We have been through crap as we all have as we all have – we can sit here though and say ‘I survived that’.

Charlie Webster pictured attending the BT Sport Industry Awards 2018 at Battersea Evolution, London, in April
Ian West/PA

“I made the decision to make sure I learn from everything that has happened to me and be a better person for it.”

She continued: “It may not seem it at the time but we are incredibly resilient and are blessed with an amazing spirit of fight and survival.

“All this crap that happens to us just makes us stronger, gives us a deeper understanding and empathy and more able to help others pull through bad times.

“Basically keep on going! You can do it! I know it’s easy to say but through deep pain we honestly learn so much about ourselves and how remarkable we as humans are.”

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