Doctors are "hopeful" they can treat Charlie Webster after she was recently struck down with a rare strain of malaria.
The former Sky Sports News presenter – who previously dated ‘Downton Abbey’ star Allen Leech – has spent the past few days in an induced coma after she contracted the serious tropical disease, which is spread by mosquitoes, but medical professionals are convinced she’ll be able to recover from it.
A spokesperson told The London Evening Standard newspaper: "She is in an induced coma on life support. They didn’t know what it was at first, but they’ve identified it as rare strain of malaria now and they’re hopeful they can treat it."
The 33-year-old star was rushed to hospital last week after she began vomiting while attending the opening ceremony for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 5.
She was initially treated for extreme dehydration as she had just completed a 3,000 mile charity bike, which saw her start in London and go through France, Spain and Portugal before she flew to north Brazil and rode to Rio for the ceremony.
Last week, she told fans she had contracted a "serious infection" but her condition got worse as her kidneys stopped functioning and she was struggling to breathe.
She’s now fighting for her life in a hospital in Rio as her family – who flew out last week – sit patiently by her bedside.
Charlie is in Rio as one of the presenters for Team GB.
Doctors ‘hopeful’ they can treat Charlie Webster
