Richard Bacon, 45, reveals he received the Covid-19 vaccine ‘significantly earlier’ because doctors told him he has ‘a higher chance of dying’ after near-fatal lung infection in 2018
Richard Bacon has revealed he received the Covid-19 vaccine ‘significantly earlier’ than others in his age group because of his near-fatal lung infection in 2018.
The TV presenter, 45, appeared on Tuesday’s edition of Loose Women where he informed the panellists that he got his vaccination because doctors told him he had a ‘higher chance of dying’ if he got the virus following his previous illness.
Reflecting on what happened, he said: ‘They told me I was meant to die. They said if you get another illness in the next five years you have an increased risk of dying, and then Covid happened.
Health: Richard Bacon, 45, revealed on Tuesday he had the Covid-19 vaccine early because doctors told him he had ‘a higher chance of dying’ after near-fatal lung infection in 2018
‘I got my vaccine significantly earlier because of my medical returns. Factually if I’d got it I’d have a higher chance of dying compared to others my age.’
In 2018, Richard was rushed to hospital after a virus ‘exploded’ in his lungs during a flight from the United States.
He went on to spend 12 days in intensive care and nine in an induced coma, as medics battled to save his life from the mystery infection.
In 2018, Richard was rushed to hospital after a virus ‘exploded’ in his lungs during a flight from the United States, and he said of Covid-19: ‘If I’d got it I’d have a higher chance of dying’
Honest: Reflecting on his mystery infection, he said: ‘They told me I was meant to die. They said if you get another illness in the next five years you have an increased risk of dying’
During an appearance on Good Morning Britain after recovering from the illness, he explained: ‘I felt very bad for [my wife] Rebecca. For me, I found out afterwards how close I’d come [to death].
‘As they were putting me in the coma she rubbed my feet and said “don’t walk towards the white light”, which I think was a joke, but I’m not entirely sure.
‘There was one point where they had the crash equipment hovering over me, my body turned blue, there was a moment when they believed I was going to die.’
Illness: In 2018, Richard spent 12 days in intensive care and nine in an induced coma, as medics battled to save his life from the mystery infection
The star, a healthy eater who does twice daily gym sessions, went to Lewisham Hospital’s walk in centre complaining of struggling to breathe in July 2018.
Explaining the hours before he went to hospital he said: ‘It was bad luck; I breathed something in.
‘The working theory, they never really worked out what it was exactly, is that I got on the plane at the wrong time and the pressurised cabin caused this infection in both of my lungs to explode everywhere.’
Struggle: During an appearance on GMB after recovering from the illness, he explained that wife Rebecca ‘said “don’t walk towards the white light”‘ when he was in a coma (pictured)
‘When I got off the plane I couldn’t breathe properly. I did something really stupid which is, I believed that because I go to the gym a lot I’d kind of be fine.
‘Obviously working on your biceps has no impact on what’s going on in your lungs. So, I left it 18 hours. When I got to A&E that’s when it all kicked off.’
‘I was very, very close to death,’ he said adding that doctors ‘went from telling me I needed to be in an induced coma to being in a coma in 4 minutes’.
‘They said to me afterwards, “it wasn’t that you might die, we expected you to die”. I was the illest person in Lewisham hospital.’
Shocking: Richard said, ‘My body turned blue, there was a moment when they believed I was going to die’ (Richard and Rebecca pictured with daughter Ivy, six, son Arthur, eight)