Jordan Brook Fights Back Tears in First TV Interview Since Meningitis Ordeal
TOWIE star Jordan Brook became emotional as he detailed his terrifying health battle with viral meningitis during his first television appearance since being discharged from hospital. The 31-year-old reality television personality appeared on Good Morning Britain alongside his pregnant partner, Geordie Shore star Sophie Kasaei, 36, to speak with hosts Ranvir Singh and Kate Garraway about the traumatic experience that saw him hospitalised for 22 days.
A Sudden Onset of Extreme Symptoms
Jordan recalled that life was "great" after his 31st birthday, as he and Sophie were preparing for the arrival of their first child. However, in early March, he was struck down with what he initially believed was a fever accompanied by an "extreme" headache. Sophie initially thought he had "man flu," but the pain rapidly intensified, prompting Jordan to call the NHS 111 service for advice.
"I felt like someone had a hot corkscrew out of a fire and was screwing it into my temple. I was in agony," Jordan described vividly. "It was making me sick, I was projectile vomiting all over the house, in the bed, bright yellow because I wasn’t eating."
Misdiagnosis and Escalating Crisis
Paramedics who initially assessed Jordan told him he was suffering from a migraine and sent him home. However, his condition deteriorated over the following two days, leading to an emergency blue-light ambulance transfer to hospital. Despite this, initial scans, including those for meningitis, returned clear results, leaving Jordan and medical professionals puzzled.
"I’ve never trusted the saying ‘trust your gut’ more. I knew something was wrong," Jordan emphasised during the interview. His persistence led him back to his GP a few days later, who referred him to hospital for further tests, including a lumbar puncture and a CT scan. "This is when we realised something was wrong," he stated, confirming the eventual diagnosis of viral meningitis, which was unrelated to the recent Kent outbreak.
Emotional Recollections of Worst-Case Scenarios
Doctors had to prepare Jordan for all potential outcomes, a conversation that brought him to tears as he recounted it on air. "This makes me so emotional," he told the hosts. "Doctors said, we can’t rule out brain cancer, because they have to tell you every worst case." Adding to the distress, Sophie was banned from visiting him in hospital due to the risk that if Jordan had bacterial meningitis, it could endanger her and their unborn child.
Sophie shared her own terrifying moments, particularly when Jordan became non-verbal. "You do not think these things will ever happen to you," she said. "At 31, Jordan is so fit and healthy, he’s always on the go, and to hear that. Jordan was non-verbal for a bit, and that was the really scary part."
Recovery and Gratitude
Thankfully, Jordan was able to return home last week, just in time for Easter. Sophie took to Instagram to express her relief and gratitude, writing: "Watching you walk out of those hospital doors felt like getting my whole world back. These past weeks have been the hardest I’ve ever known. But you never stopped fighting, not just for yourself, but for us, for your family, for our little boy growing inside me."
She continued, "The goal was to be home for Easter, and you did it! Having JB home, hand on my bump, smiling again means more than words will ever be able to say. We are blessed, grateful, and whole again." Jordan noted that the interview day marked his first sense of normality since the ordeal began, something he feared "would never happen" just a week prior.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1 and ITVX.
