Ellie Spence of Love Island has detailed a harrowing event in which she nearly impaled herself and released graphic photographs of the injuries.
The 25-year-old, who featured on the ninth season of Love Island, won by Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan, stated that she was a ‘tiny tear’ away from bleeding out and dying.
After a ‘long recovery’, Ellie admitted she now ‘appreciates’ this ‘second chance at life’.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Ellie explained: ‘Around this time just before summer when I was 18, I impaled myself on a steel speared gate and almost accidentally killed myself.
‘I’d just finished my A level exams and me and one of my best friends Livvy went out on a night out, we got back to her house in the early hours of the morning and the gate in front of her house was locked.
‘After climbing the gate and reaching the top, I put my foot on the bar in-between the spears, my foot slipped and one of the spears impaled me directly in the joint of my leg.
‘I somehow spun around and found myself hanging backwards off the gate, 10ft in the air.’
She continued: ‘I could barely get my words out from the pain and panic I was in and Livvy had no idea I was impaled.
‘After 10 minutes of miscommunicating with each other in complete darkness, my leg had torn from the very front of my joint to the back of my bum.
‘I started to pass out from the pain, loss of blood and mentally coming to terms with the fact I just knew I was about to die.
‘I gave up and hung in silence and after a few minutes I suddenly heard a voice screaming in my ear to get up, get up, get up repeatedly (I didn’t recognise the voice) and I saw a bright white light (FYI I am not an overly spiritual person so this is still crazy to me to this day) I then immediately woke up and out of nowhere started perfectly directing Livvy and she thankfully got me off the gate.’
Ellie added: ‘I was rushed to hospital and told I was 3mm away from my main artery so just one more tiny tear I would have bled out and died hanging on the gate. Livvy is my real life angel and she saved my life that day.
‘Coming to terms with very narrowly escaping death is a feeling I’ll never truly be able to put into words and the long recovery that followed really really made me appreciate how lucky I am to be given a second chance at experiencing life.’
Ellie captioned the post with photographs of herself standing on the beach in a bright orange bikini.
She also uploaded photos of her scar, which is now visible from beneath her bikini bottoms.
Ellie wrote: ‘I know with summer coming up it’s a daunting time for anybody that doesn’t feel ‘ready’ in their body but my scar is always going to be there so however comfortable or uncomfortable I feel in my body at that time, I have had to learn that my body will always be ‘ready’.
‘I have really dipped in and out of feeling body confident throughout my life as most of us women do with constant changing body trends and standards we’re pressured into meeting.
‘But it’s SO normal to have a lump or bump or stretch mark or whatever it may be.’
She continued:’ ‘When I got my stitches out the nurse said to me ‘no more beach holidays or bikinis for you’.
‘I was so focused on being able to walk again and mentally getting through my recovery that I rolled my eyes at those types of comments because thankfully I was alive.
‘But looking back at just 18 years old those words clearly had more of an effect on me than I would have ever liked to previously admit.
‘However, I have learnt to never ever let anything hold me back and I think it’s so important to not let your body hold you back from enjoying not just this summer but the rest of your life!!’
Ellie added: ‘I have been through every emotion and more through this accident and even though it’s easier said than done please don’t let your body hold you back from enjoying your life!!!
‘It’s so easy to see the beauty in everyone other than yourself but you truly are so much more beautiful than you know and there is such power in experiencing as much as you can, meeting as many people as you can, connecting with as many people as you can and helping as many people as you can so even if you don’t feel ready, go on the holiday, go to the festival, jump in the pool because life is so short and so incredibly precious and you really only have one chance to do everything you possibly can.’
Ellie also provided graphic photographs of her injuries, including stitches under a bandage, bruises as the tear mended, and a last shot of her skin separating, with her wounded bleeding and raw behind the bandage.
Her post was showered in support, with fellow Love Island star Coco Lodge writing: ‘Omg Ellie ❤️ thank you for sharing! You are beautiful and incredible.’
A fan penned: ‘Thank you for sharing your story! I’m so sorry that happened to you, it must have been such a scary experience but thank you for this lovely message! I needed to read this today!’
Love Island returns on Monday, June 5 on ITV2.
Source My Celebrity Life.