A contestant from Channel 4's new reality series The Hunt: Prey Vs Predator has shared his harrowing experience of being hospitalised after suffering seventeen severe seizures just weeks after completing filming for the show. Nathan, a 33-year-old dentist and father of six, participated in the inaugural series of the programme, which pits ten players against each other in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse for a £100,000 prize.
Living with Functional Neurological Disorder
Nathan lives with functional neurological disorder (FND), a condition that affects how the brain communicates with the body, leading to symptoms like seizures and paralysis. According to NHS Inform, FND involves problems with the brain's information processing. Despite his diagnosis in August 2024, Nathan was motivated to join the show to challenge himself and prove that his condition would not hold him back.
Speaking exclusively to The Daily Mail ahead of FND Awareness Day on March 25, Nathan explained his reasoning: "When I saw it, I thought, 'Oh, this is something to challenge myself and prove that I can still sort of do things.' So my main motivating factor was just to be like, I'm not going to be stopped by my diagnosis."
A Sudden Health Crisis
Unfortunately, Nathan's time on the show was short-lived, as he was the first contestant eliminated. More devastatingly, shortly after filming wrapped, he experienced a major flare-up of his condition. On June 4, 2025, while celebrating his wife's 40th birthday at a spa, Nathan had seventeen seizures within an hour and was blue-lighted to Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
He recounted the traumatic event: "We'd gone to the spa for my wife's 40th birthday, just having a really relaxing day, and then we went up to the hotel room, I had 17 seizures within an hour, and was blue lighted into Blackpool Victoria, at which point I couldn't speak, couldn't say a word, and I was paralyzed from the hip down on the left hand side."
Recovery and Rehabilitation
Nathan spent three months in hospitals and a rehabilitation facility, relearning how to walk and talk. He now uses a Zimmer frame indoors and a wheelchair for distances over thirty meters, a significant adjustment from his active life. Reflecting on his recovery, he said, "It's so crazy to think this time last year I was running around a Bulgarian forest. Now I'm out of breath wheeling up the street."
He emphasised that the hospitalisation was unrelated to his participation in The Hunt, but it highlighted the unpredictable nature of living with FND. During filming, Nathan did experience a seizure after an adrenaline crash from a hunt, but he praised the production crew for their support: "Every single member of the production crew and everything, they really looked after me, and they couldn't have done enough. I felt very well supported."
Journey to Diagnosis and Advocacy
Nathan first noticed symptoms in 2022 but ignored them until seizures began, leading to a neurologist visit and his FND diagnosis. He expressed frustration with the lack of NHS support, stating, "There's not a lot in the way of support or treatment pathways within the NHS. We were signposted to a website, and then that was literally it."
To help others, he founded the peer support network FND North West Community Hub and has vlogged his recovery journey. "I think again, this was to, one, make people feel less alone if they see it and think, 'Oh, someone else is going through this.' And also, for me, it's really nice to look back and see how far I have come," he shared.
Looking Forward
Despite ongoing seizures and left-side paralysis, Nathan remains positive about his progress since June 2025. He continues with neurophysiotherapy and maintains a hopeful outlook. "I have made so much progress since June 2025, I'm so happy with where I'm at. I've still got so much more to progress and so much further to go," he said.
Nathan's story sheds light on the challenges of living with a neurological disorder while pursuing personal goals. The Hunt: Prey Vs Predator, described as a physically and mentally draining competition set in a 100-acre Bulgarian forest, is available for streaming on Channel 4.
