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Jack Fowler recalls petrifying moment he thought he was going to die on plane

19 June 2024 , 19:59
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Watch Jack's ordeal in the clip above

LOVE Island star Jack Fowler has recalled the petrifying moment he thought he would die on a plane after suffering a serious allergic reaction.

The reality star, 28, was rushed to hospital upon landing in Dubai following the terrifying in-air incident after he ate food containing nuts.

Jack spoke about his ordeal on Good Morning Britain eiqehiqkdiqkzprw
Jack spoke about his ordeal on Good Morning BritainCredit: Rex
Jack is "extremely allergic" to nuts and could have died on an Emirates flight to Dubai
Jack is "extremely allergic" to nuts and could have died on an Emirates flight to DubaiCredit: Jack Fowler
He suffered a severe allergic reaction after eating a curry
He suffered a severe allergic reaction after eating a curryCredit: Jack Fowler

The star's story went viral after he shared worrying footage of himself administering his EpiPen and receiving canisters of oxygen while on the flight.

Reliving his ordeal, he told The Sun: "It's petrifying. You know, I'm petrified.

"I'm looking at my three friends that are on the flight with me and I'm saying to them, God, I think I'm going to die.

Why do we do the brace position on planes?Why do we do the brace position on planes?

"Because I can't breathe, you know, I can't talk.

"I can just about breathe. And, you know, I'm having my anaphylactic shock. I'm shaking. My heart's going crazy.

"You know, my eyes are stinging. My skin's itching. I feel really hot."

Jack's throat had closed up. He needed emergency treatment immediately and his friends alerted the air crew, begging them to land the plane.

He continued: "I'm scared. I'm petrified. It couldn't be any worse.

"Up 35,000 feet in the air with no doctor. It can't get any worse than that.

"You go to these flights and you pay all this money, thousands of pounds in some cases, to get to a destination safely. And now this has happened."

Jack was given five tanks of oxygen and said the pilot took a shorter flight path to get him to safety.

Having not seen the flight menu, Jack said he was told by an air steward that his chosen meal was a plain chicken curry free from nuts.

It turned out the sauce was blended with cashew nuts - the worse kind for him to consume.

A look at the rules when using AirPods on a planeA look at the rules when using AirPods on a plane

The star said he wanted to share his experience to raise awareness and educate other air stewards of the dangers faced by passengers with allergies.

"It could all have been prevented," he told us.

"I don't care if they've got, you know, these policies that they have, right, online. They're good. And we need them.

"But ultimately, when I ask someone, has it got nuts in? And they say no, and it has. That could have killed me."

The Love Island hunk, who starred in the fourth series, had another brush with death last year on a plane when he was served a dessert with pistachios.

Following this, he suffered a terrifying health scare when he discovered his headache was in fact a meningitis sign.

Jack suffered abuse from some corners of the internet after sharing his ordeal on social media, with disgusting comments accusing him of seeking "free flights for life".

He hit back at trolls and said: "I think the only compensation that I'm really wanting right now is for it not to happen to anyone else.

"That, for me, is at the forefront of my mind. So that's what I'm focusing on."

A spokesperson for Emirates said: "We are sorry to hear of Mr Fowler's experience and our teams on ground are providing him with all possible assistance. The safety and health of our customers is taken very seriously.

"While Emirates aims to cater to customers with specific needs by offering a variety of special meals that cover medical, dietary, and religious requirements, we cannot guarantee a nut-free inflight environment.

"We urge travellers with dietary or other medical requirements to check our website and consult their doctor before travel."

Jack starred on Love Island in 2018. Pictured with Laura Crane
Jack starred on Love Island in 2018. Pictured with Laura CraneCredit: Rex Features

Fay Leyfield

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