This Morning presenter and money-saving expert Jordon Cox has spoken candidly about his long-term health battle with Crohn's disease, revealing the severe impact the condition had on his weight and the drastic surgery that ultimately gave him a "new lease of life".
A Teenage Diagnosis and Drastic Weight Loss
The 28-year-old, known to viewers as the "Coupon King", detailed his experience on the Crohn's & Colitis UK podcast on Monday, 1 December. Cox was diagnosed with the inflammatory bowel condition as a teenager. He described how the disease caused him to drop to a critically low weight of just six stone and ten pounds (approximately 43kg), despite being over six feet tall.
"I got admitted into hospital," Cox recalled. "There are pictures of me in hospital and I still look back on it now, thinking like 'What on Earth?'" He explained that doctors told him he needed surgery to remove diseased bowel but could not operate due to his dangerously low weight.
Radical Treatment and a Life-Changing Operation
To build him up for the procedure, medical staff put Cox on Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), where nutrients are fed directly into the bloodstream via a vein, bypassing the digestive system entirely. "I was attached to a bag of nutrient feeding for 24 hours a day," he said.
He underwent ileostomy surgery, where 30cm of his bowel was removed. The procedure, he told Crohn's & Colitis UK, was transformative. Following the operation, he was "able to eat whatever I wanted with no pain and my energy levels [were] back to normal". After around a year of good health, the ileostomy bag was reversed.
Life in Remission and a Public Health Message
Cox, who has been four years post-op and is currently in remission, now uses his platform to raise awareness. "Although a lot of the stuff that I've said sounds horrible, there is light at the end of the tunnel," he stated. "I'm now living such a healthy life, have my own business and present on TV."
His story serves as a potent reminder of the symptoms of Crohn's disease, which include stomach pain, severe fatigue, and weight loss. The NHS advises that these symptoms can mirror other gut conditions like IBS or coeliac disease and recommends contacting a GP if concerned, as a hospital specialist referral may be needed for diagnosis and treatment.
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