horrifying

During a holiday in the Dominican Republic in 2022, Freddie Bentley suffered liver failure – his health scare led to him being diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC)

TOWIE star Freddie Bentley has opened up on a horrifying health ordeal that left him fearing for his life.

The TV personality, who left the ITV reality show in February, was hospitalised after suffering liver failure during a boozy holiday in the Dominican Republic in 2022. Freddie, who was 24 at the time, experienced critical symptoms, including severe vomiting and his skin and eyes turning yellow from jaundice.

The health ordeal left him in hospital for six weeks. Sharing details of the incident on the official TOWIE podcast, You Alright, Hun?, Freddie said: “When I was 24, my liver failed. My bile ducts and my liver stopped working properly.

“I got jaundice, so I was in hospital for six weeks. A normal liver function level is meant to be, like, 125. Mine was 980. So, wow, I was critical, I was in a really, really bad… wow.”

Freddie’s condition meant he was “so poorly” and “couldn’t hold anything down, both ways” during the holiday. He explained: “The doctors were worried. They were like, ‘You’re 24 years of age, your liver shouldn’t be failing.'”

The reality sar, who has also appeared on The Circle, said the ordeal led to the discovery that he suffers from a rare liver disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), a condition causing chronic inflammation and scarring of the bile ducts.

Although his medical team clarified that PSC is a genetic condition completely unrelated to alcohol abuse, Freddie acknowledged that heavy drinking aggravated his symptoms.

As explained by the Mayo Clinic, PSC, which affects up to one in 10,000 people, is a rare, long-term disease of the liver caused by inflammation of tubes in the liver called bile ducts. “Scarring and narrowing of bile ducts leads to liver damage,” the website explains. “Over time, the liver loses its ability to filter blood and support digestion.”

Freddie decided to completely change his lifestyle after his health scare – and he decided to quit drinking completely. “So I have to look after my liver now obviously,” he said. “So I don’t drink.” He added: “I’m actually a nicer person without a drink. I don’t need to have a drink to have a good time.”

Last year, the TV star celebrated three years of sobriety on TOWIE, which he said made him feel “honoured”. Speaking to OK!, he said: “It was amazing to be able to speak my truth about my sobriety journey on TOWIE. I think a lot of people don’t know about me being sober.

“It’s something I’ve really worked on and had my own personal journey with. It was a surreal moment to watch myself back, talking about it on the show. I feel honoured that they dedicated that segment to it.”

Opening up on the process of giving up alcohol, he explained: “The first year was the hardest. You grieve your old life – the nights out, the social side, especially in this industry where you’re handed a glass of prosecco the minute you arrive at an event. I barely went out at first, I didn’t feel ready. But over time, I became comfortable in my own skin and now I enjoy everything even more.”

He added: “Also, in hospital, I felt judged for being a gay man. The doctors immediately jumped to assumptions about unprotected sex and it was the first time I felt truly belittled for my sexuality. That was difficult, but it also pushed me to become stronger.”

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June 29 (UPI) — Police and other authorities in Mississippi have started an extensive manhunt for those responsible for a “horrifying” crime scene involving two women and a toddler in Jackson, Miss.

“Detectives are working diligently to identify and locate those responsible for this horrific crime,” police said in a social media post.

Police responding to a 911 call for aggravated assault Saturday night found the bodies of two women, 26 and 30, and a 2-year-old child, all of whom had been shot multiple times, CNN reported. One of the women was the toddler’s mother.

“This is a heinous crime,” Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said, calling the killer “the vilest of human beings.”

One lead is a red 2020 Mitsubishi Mirage that someone drove from the crime scene, police said. Police found the vehicle abandoned in Manhattan Park in North Jackson and are processing it for evidence. Anyone with information is asked to call the Jackson Police Department.

Jackson Mayor John Hohrn said in a social media post that he’s been coordinating with the police chief and public safety team to “deploy additional resources to address immediate concerns.” He said law enforcement, community leaders, violence prevention experts, mental health professionals and others will be involved in an upcoming plan to help communities.

“This behavior is a bad stain on all the good that is going on in our communities,” Hohrn wrote. “We will not accept violence as a way of life in Jackson. We are going to confront this head on and do the work necessary to make our city safer.”