Factors

FORMER The X Factor singer Katie Waissel has been dashed back to hospital with a suspected blood clot on her lung — less than two days after being discharged.

The 2010 reality TV star was readmitted to hospital just 36 hours after being allowed to go home.

Singer Katie is currently fighting a severe case of bacterial pneumonia and doctors now suspect a blood clot on her lung.

The 40-year-old was taken to London’s private Wellington Hospital for urgent scans and tests.

Taking to X, Katie told her followers: “After a day and a half at home, I’m now BACK at the hospital and not doing so great.”

She added in a later update: “Whilst still battling this awful bacterial pneumonia, there’s now a suspected blood clot on my lung, so I’m back in for more scans, tests and needles.

A&E DASH

X Factor star Katie Waissel rushed to hospital by ambulance in ‘excrutiating pain’

ABUSE SHOCK

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“I’m fairly certain I’ve run out of veins for people to poke at this point.”

The mum-of-one praised the medical team at the facility for their ‘incredible’ support.

She stated that her absolute priority is to ‘get better and get home to my little boy’.

Katie shares her seven-year-old son, Hudson, with her former partner, personal trainer Andy Speer, who was born in 2018.

This latest setback follows her emergency admission last week to St John and St Elizabeth’s Hospital in London.

Reflecting on the initial scare, the songwriter admitted she was ‘far closer to the edge than I realised’.

She called the illness ‘one of the most frightening and excruciatingly painful experiences of my life’.

The close call has given her a brand new outlook on life.

In a separate social media post on Thursday, she shared: “I’m still a little bit in shock, if I’m honest, coming to terms with just how close I came to not being here anymore.

“It’s made me realise there are still so many things I want to see, do, learn and experience, and that perhaps ‘one day’ isn’t a date we should rely on.

“So, I’ve decided it’s time to write a proper bucket list and start ticking things off.”

This is not the star’s first sudden health crisis.

Back in 2021, she needed emergency treatment for a suspected heart attack, later sharing images of herself fitted with a cardiac monitor.

Katie originally rose to fame on the seventh series of The X Factor.

She was mentored by Cheryl in the girls category and eventually finished the ITV competition in seventh place – which was won by Matt Cardle.

She also appeared as a housemate on Celebrity Big Brother in 2016.

The singer is now qualified to work as a paralegal or start vocational training to become a solicitor or barrister.

The mum-of-one and lawyer set up her own dedicated foundation, O.W.H.L, in 2023 – campaigning to reform safety standards within the showbiz world.

She was branded the “most hated contestant” when she appeared on the show and has sought therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after suffering panic attacks and suicidal thoughts.

Arsenal have ended a 22-year wait to be crowned Premier League champions after Manchester City were held 1-1 by Bournemouth.

Mikel Arteta’s men held off the challenge of Pep Guardiola’s second-place City on Tuesday night to seal a long-awaited triumph with one game to spare.

Here are the key factors that helped the Gunners finally get over the line after three seasons as runners-up:

Back to basics

Arsenal’s title-winning campaign has been ugly at times. For a couple of seasons, Arteta’s Arsenal have been the emblem of a more back-to-basics approach in English football.

The era of pretty passing under Guardiola and heavy-metal football under Jurgen Klopp has given way to set pieces, long throw-ins and long balls from the back.

It is a world Arsenal have mastered with Gabriel Magalhaes a menace at corners, Declan Rice key with his pinpoint throws and dead-ball deliveries, and Victor Gyokeres a more robust out-and-out striker.

Often derided by rival fans as “Set Piece FC” for a lack of creativity, specialist coach Nicolas Jover has devised a series of inventive schemes to give Arsenal an edge.

More than 40 percent of the Gunners’ Premier League goals this season have come from dead ball situations. Of their 28 goals from set pieces, 18 have come from corners, a new single-season Premier League record.

Meanwhile, the Gunners easily have the best defensive record in the league, conceding just 26 goals in 37 games this season, and it is that solidity and sturdiness that will define this title-winning team.

Rice’s leadership, Raya’s saves, Gyokeres’s goals

Rice and goalkeeper David Raya have stood out for Arsenal this season, putting them among the favourites for English football’s Player of the Year award.

Rice’s leadership, energy in midfield and set-piece delivery have made him an integral member of the team and one of England’s key players heading into the World Cup.

Raya has helped Arsenal keep 19 clean sheets, earning him the Golden Glove award for the third straight year.

“David Raya, for me, has to be the player of the season,” former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira told Sky Sports. “I think he was outstanding from the first game until the end of the season. I think he was really impressive.”

Throw in Gyokeres scoring 21 goals in all competitions in his first season at the club and it is clear that Arteta has built the most well-rounded team of his tenure.

Strength in depth

Injuries played a ruinous role in Arsenal’s failed pursuit of Liverpool last season.

The decision to invest heavily in bulking out Arteta’s squad paid off this season despite injuries to Saka, Magalhaes, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.

New signings Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera have all made significant contributions to get Arsenal over the line in the Premier League and within one game of winning the Champions League for the first time.

Unorthodox methods

Finishing as runners-up in the Premier League for the past three years saw Arsenal’s players and Arteta derided as “nearly men”, even chokers, by many football pundits.

An alternative view is that it built up the prerequisite experience and resolve to finally launch a successful tilt at the title.

Arteta kept believing in his squad – and kept coming up with unorthodox, ridicule-inviting methods to inspire his players. A professional pickpocket was reportedly hired for a preseason dinner and took items from players, highlighting the need for them to be alert at all times.

Arteta brought a lightbulb into the locker room before one game, linking that to his demand for the team to shine and light up Emirates Stadium. Just a few weeks ago, TikTok videos featuring fan chants were played on big screens during practice sessions.

Arsenal have been mentally tougher this season, holding on after yet another strong start to the campaign and seeing it through to the end despite City’s trademark late-season rally.

Faltering rivals

Arsenal accumulated more points two years ago when they were pipped to the title by City despite winning 16 of their final 18 games.

Over the past decade, City and Liverpool have often set the bar high, winning the league with more than 90 points.

This time, 82 was enough to see Arsenal over the line.

Despite taking the title race into the final week of the campaign, City lacked the same consistency and relentlessness of Guardiola’s best sides while Liverpool’s title defence imploded.