Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn star Georgia Jane Ray has revealed that she suffered an ectopic pregnancy while filming the show.
The forensic psychologist, who lives in Noosa, made the announcement in a statement posted by the official Survivor social media.
“Where to begin?” she started. “I want to take this opportunity to put to bed some of the confusion concerning my health on Survivor. I have had some people question the timing of my illness and also the 24 hour medical exemption. Most importantly, I want to find the courage to share my experience because I believe that telling your story releases you from it, no matter what it is… The good, the bad, and the ugly.”
She goes on to recount how on the 18th day of Australian Survivor, she suffered an “extremely painful rupture to my fallopian tube due to an unknown and unexplained ectopic pregnancy.”
She says “at the time, I had absolutely no idea why I was so unwell, let alone feeling such severe abdominal pain.”
She thanked her tribe mates for helping her though “the most agonising night of my life.”
“I was very grateful to receive medical treatment in hospital the following day, however unfortunately the pregnancy was not identified by the doctors,” she added.
She says she returned to the show shortly after, “believing that my health would eventually improve, and the abdominal pain was bowel-related.” But “after being voted out by my tribe and upon arriving home, I suffered another painful rupture.”
When she was taken to her local hospital in Noosa, she then learned that she “was in fact six weeks pregnant and that I needed emergency surgery.”
She says that after surgery, she has “since made a full recovery” and wants to “raise awareness on behalf of women who have suffered an ectopic pregnancy.”
In a statement that accompanied the post, Ten added: “Australian Survivor takes the health and safety of our contestants very seriously. During filming, Georgia became ill and subsequently required hospitalisation. We are pleased that Georgia has recovered now and we thank her, not only for the determined game she played, but also for the courage to share her story… ”
Head here for more information on ectopic pregnancies.
