Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith was rushed to hospital after a health scare left her unable to speak. The 83-year-old was taken by ambulance to A&E following fears she had suffered a stroke.
The television personality was on holiday in Yorkshire when she found herself unable to form a sentence. Her husband, John Playfair, called for an ambulance after her speech turned into an "incomprehensible jumble of disconnected words". She was quickly transported to hospital in a blue light ambulance and underwent checks for 10 hours.
Migraine attack details
Prue opened up about the incident: "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. This is speedily followed by a bright circle of flickering, coloured lights in the upper right field of vision."
In her monthly column Prue's News for the September issue of The Oldie magazine, she explained: "If I don't swiftly swallow one of my migraine 'bombs' (three pills: paracetamol, ibuprofen and sumatriptan), a crashing headache will follow."
Hospital visit and NHS praise
Her "incomprehensible jumble of disconnected words" led John to fear the worst. She attempted to explain it was a migraine but could not articulate her thoughts. She spent 10 hours in A&E, where staff arranged for a brain scan "to be sure".
Prue praised the NHS staff: "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."
Staff went out of their way to find her food after eight hours in the department. A nursing assistant managed to get her a sandwich of "white bread with a skinny slice of processed ham". Prue said: "Not the healthiest supper for nurses on night shift, but John and I wolfed it down."
