Former ‘Love Island’ star Dr Alex George almost died of sceptic shock when he contracted sepsis in 2017.
The 30-year-old medical professional – who has been working on the NHS frontline on the A&E ward at Lewisham Hospital, south east London, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – has opened up about his own terrifying brush with death three years ago.
In a video clip on Instagram, Alex – who found fame on the 2018 series of the reality dating show – shared how he was cycling to work one day and suddenly felt extremely poorly and admitted himself to the hospital, where it was found he had a high temperature.
He recalled: "It was very scary, but I was rushed through into a cubicle where I was seen immediately by one of the senior doctors there.
"I think what really scared me at the time was A, I was alone, B, how quickly it happened and also the fact that it took me a long while to respond."
Alex’s scary ordeal was one of the reasons he decided to return to work for the NHS.
Meanwhile, the doctor recently admitted he’s finding it difficult to be separated from his girlfriend Amelia Bath amid the pandemic.
Alex explained: "It’s a strange parallel – craving rest yet dreading time off – fuelled by the fact I’m now living, like so many medics, in isolation in the flat I’d normally be sharing with my girlfriend, Amelia. And it’s all such a far cry from my Love Island experience, which is, of course, what made me famous.
"I went on the show in 2018, three years after leaving medical school. That summer seems so carefree and frivolous now, as though it happened to someone else. In fact, I realise now, more than ever before, that fame is not the thing that defines me. The work I’m doing through this crisis, facing life and death on a daily basis, that shapes who I really am: a doctor to my very core.
"I haven’t seen Amelia or any friends or family for four weeks now. Going home from a frantically busy and noisy A&E department to the silence of an empty flat is tough. There’s no one to offload to; no opportunity to touch or be held."