The Towie star opened up about his horror health ordeal in his first TV interview since being hospitalised on Good Morning Britain.
Jordan Brook appeared on Good Morning Britain today (Image: ITV)
Jordan Brook has opened up about his horror health battle in his first TV interview since returning home from hospital.
Towie star Jordan Brook was hospitalised with meningitis for 22 days, and is still recovering from the viral disease, which was unrelated to the Kent outbreak.
He had originally been told his symptoms were a migraine, and was sent home before returning to his GP as his pain increased, and was rushed to A&E.
Jordan, 31, and his pregnant partner Sophie Kasaei were left fearing the worst, and though he has now thankfully returned home, he’s still recovering and struggling with some symptoms.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain today, Jordan recalled the horror ordeal as he and Geordie Shore star Sophie, 36, spoke to hosts Ranvir Singh and Kate Garraway.
He began by saying this was the first day he’d had that gave him a “sense of normality”, after fearing that “would never happen” just a week ago.
He recalled life being “great” after turning 31, preparing for their baby to arrive, but was struck down with what he thought was a fever and an “extreme” headache at the beginning of March.
At the time, Sophie thought Jordan had “man flu”, but his pain intensified, leading him to ring 111.
“I felt like someone had a hot corkscrew out of a fire and was screwing it into my temple. I was in agony. It was making me sick, I was projectile vomiting all over the house, in the bed, bright yellow because I wasn’t eating,” he said.
Paramedics initially told Jordan he had a migraine, but two days later, he was blue-lighted to the hospital, though his scans all came back clear, including for meningitis.
“I’ve never trusted the saying ‘trust your gut’ more. I knew something was wrong,” he went on.
Jordan returned to the hospital after visiting his GP a few days later, where he had a lumbar puncture and a CT scan. “This is when we realised something was wrong,” he said.
At the time, Jordan didn’t have any of the symptoms they thought were linked to meningitis, like a rash or a stiff neck.
Sophie was also banned from visiting him in hospital, because if Jordan had been infected with bacterial meningitis, it would have been a risk for her and their unborn child.
Doctors also had to warn Jordan of all the worst-case scenarios, and he grew emotional remembering the words they told him.
“This makes me so emotional,” he told Ranvir and Kate. “Doctors said, we can’t rule out brain cancer, because they have to tell you every worst case.”
For Sophie, the scariest moment came when Jordan wasn’t able to speak to her.
“You do not think these things will ever happen to you,” she said. “At 31, Jordan is so fit and healthy, he’s always on the go, and to hear that.”
She went on: “Jordan was non-verbal for a bit, and that was the really scary part.”
On his return home last week, Sophie took to Instagram to express her gratitude for the outcome.
She said, “Watching you walk out of those hospital doors felt like getting my whole world back.
“These past weeks have been the hardest I’ve ever known. But you never stopped fighting, not just for yourself, but for us, for your family, for our little boy growing inside me.
“The goal was to be home for Easter, and you did it! Having JB home, hand on my bump, smiling again means more than words will ever be able to say.
“We are blessed, grateful, and whole again. Happy Easter from us. Enjoy it with loved ones, sit back, and soak it up. Life is a precious gift.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1 and ITVX.