Dame Prue Leith was recently rushed to hospital over fears she was having a stroke. The former Great British Bake Off judge, 86, was on holiday in Yorkshire when she suffered a migraine that left her struggling to speak.
Migraine attack and stroke fears
Her husband John Playfair became worried about her symptoms, calling their doctor, who then ordered an ambulance. Writing in her column Prue’s News in the September issue of The Oldie magazine, Dame Prue described the episode.
“A few weeks ago, staying in Yorkshire, I had a migraine attack. It followed a familiar path. First, I can see only half of whatever I’m looking at,” she wrote. “This is speedily followed by a bright circle of flickering, coloured lights in the upper right field of vision. If I don’t swiftly swallow one of my migraine ‘bombs’ (three pills: paracetamol, ibuprofen and sumatriptan), a crashing headache will follow.”
Rare symptom and hospital visit
Having suffered migraine attacks since she was nine years old, Dame Prue said she carried medication in her handbag, washbag and her husband’s shoulder bag. However, she recently faced a “rare” symptom – which she said saw her speech “go bananas”.
“This time, my incomprehensible jumble of disconnected words convinced John I was having a stroke. I tried to tell him it was just a migraine, but I couldn’t string two words together,” she continued. “He rang our doctor, who asked me, could I raise my arms? Yes. Make a fist? Yes. Did anything hurt? No. Was the side of my face drooping? No. In spite of my answers, she ordered an ambulance to take me to Harrogate Hospital.”
After being looked at by a paramedic and nurse, Dame Prue said that she had to wait to see a doctor for hours. She then had to undergo a CT scan, before eventually leaving hospital after 10 hours.
Praise for NHS staff
In her column, Dame Prue praised the NHS workers who helped care for her, calling them “cheerful, sympathetic, polite, helpful and professional”. She said: “You may have to wait for ever. But when it is your turn, you are treated as if you were the only patient in A&E, with concern and patience.”
Writing about the attention paid to her health, she added: “I knew all along that all I had was a migraine. But since the speech problem is a classic symptom of a stroke, and my extreme old age being a time when mini strokes are common, everyone was determined to be safe not sorry.” Dame Prue then said it was “no wonder the nation is devoted to the NHS”.
As well as Great British Bake Off, Dame Prue is also known for her role as a judge on BBC cooking TV show Great British Menu and has been actively involved in food education over her six-decade career. She was made a dame in 2021 for her services to food, broadcasting and charity.
