Carol Vorderman has revealed she was recently hospitalised after “smashing” her head during a freak accident.
The former Countdown presenter has shared the video to explain why she was “a bit offline in June” – revealing the unusual treatment method that’s helped her recovery.
Vorderman, 65, explained: “So right at the very end of May, I was walking just outside my house on a public footpath, and I tripped over a tree root which I didn’t see. I went ‘smash’ on the tarmac path and I was unconscious.
“I can’t remember what happened then, but I do know that an ambulance came, and I was taken to the BRI, Bristol Royal Infirmary.
“By the way, I also know that they were playing “The Final Countdown” in the ambulance on the way. It’s another story, but it did make me laugh.”
The former I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Star said she was discharged the following day, but continued suffering from “massive vomiting, all the bad signs” and went “straight back into hospital”.
“They were wonderful,” she continued. “The A&E did all the CT scans and everything. Out again. I had the biggest black eye or bruises all down my face for three or four weeks.
“But what it did leave me with after about two or three weeks was dizziness. So I felt as though I was kind of walking on a moving ship, like sort of knocking into the wall a little bit. When I was in bed, when I put my head back on the pillow, I thought ‘Woah, the room is spinning’.”
To combat the dizziness, Vorderman received a treatment called the Epley technique, which she described as being “all about the inner ear and this little sack of crystals that gets dislodged”.
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“You sit upright on the bed and [the physical therapist] holds you, but she sort of throws you back,” she explained. “When she did it the first time, I thought I was falling off the edge of Earth.
“After the first session, I would say 95% of it went. I’ve had three sessions with her and I’m now discharged. I couldn’t be happier.”
She wrote in the caption: “IMPORTANT: I am NOT a medic but this is my story and it might be valuable to some who are suffering in the same way.”
Fans have shared their experience of using the technique in the comments, with one writing: “I do this movement often as I suffer from vertigo, for me it works about 90% [of the time]. Hope you make a full recovery ASAP.”
“I’ve done this, worked a treat for me too!” said another. “I didn’t have concussion, don’t know why I had it but this technique sorted it!”
The NHS says the Epley technique is used to treat Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). It should not be performed unless someone has been guided through the movement in a clinic and advised to do it at home.
Vorderman is usually an avid Instagram user and frequently uses her account to share her thoughts on the latest news and topical matters.
Last month, the TV star backed Andy Burnham for the Labour leadership and she’s made it clear what she thinks of Nigel Farage, branding the Reform UK leader a “snake oil salesman”.
