Isabelle Silbery is a mum-of-one and a star of the Australian version of Gogglebox – and needed to be rescued by helicopter after injuring her spine in a horse riding accident
A star of the Australian version of Gogglebox has been left in “immense pain” after fracturing her spine in a horror accident.
Isabelle Silbery is one of the participants in the Aussie version of Channel 4’s smash hit show where she takes in the latest TV offerings and casts her opinions and shares observations – as well as providing some insight into her personal life. The reality star appears on the show alongside her infant daughter, Ruby, and her mum, Kerry.
Recently, Isabelle enjoyed a luxury trip to the exotic paradise island of Fiji alongside her husband, Alex Richards. While on the Island, which is located in the South Pacific Ocean, the couple undertook a horse riding trip on the remote Turtle Island.
But disaster struck when the pair were adventuring around – and the Gogglebox expert was thrown from her horse and suffered a serious injury. She was miles from help and ultimately had to be helicoptered to hospital where doctors performed tests that showed the extent of the mum’s injuries.
Taking to social media over the weekend, Isabelle offered a blow by blow account of her accident and the agonising wait she had to endure before she got treatment. Sharing a string of images via Instagram, she wrote: “Turns out being on a remote island is bloody scary when you have a horse riding accident, are in immense pain and don’t know how serious things are!”
She continued: “A medical evacuation helicopter was only available during daylight hours so I was carried by local Fijians on a stretcher 2km up a hill in the dark, onto a boat and to my hut. They were all barefoot in the scorching heat, holding my hand and reassuring me I would be okay.
“They had a doctor on call and loaded me up with pain relief to get me through the night, even sitting on the beachfront outside the hut to make sure I didn’t need anything.” Images and video clips showed Isabelle strapped to a stretcher and taken into a helicopter – while further images showed her surrounded by people giving her care.
She continued: “These people were absolute angels. Not to mention my husband who helped me wee into a glass… the kind of commitment that were not in our vows.
“I was choppered to the mainland for scans confirming I’d fractured my spine. One inch in either direction and my life could’ve looked very different today.” The reality star is now recovering from the accident back at her home in Melbourne.
She issued a warning to others as she wrapped up her tale, saying: “I’m home safely with a very large bill so a PSA to check your travel insurance as ours conveniently didn’t cover most activities you would do on a holiday, including kayaking, snorkeling, bike riding and of course… horse riding.”
Fans were quick to issue the star with messages of support and to wish her a speedy and full recovery. One wrote: “sending love … the fijian people are angels.” And another typed: “Izzzzzzz. Im so glad you’re ok. My god what a fright.”
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