Strictly Come Dancing's Saffron Barker was rushed to hospital after coming down with a mystery disease.
The 24 year old, who became the first female social media star to grace the BBC One show in 2019, following Joe Suggs' stint in 2018, was partnered with AJ Pritchard.
She gained fame through her YouTube channel, amassing over two million subscribers, and fans have been tracking her life on Instagram and TikTok since her departure from the dance show five years ago.
However, Saffron caused alarm among her dedicated followers when she used Instagram to share health updates after a frightening hospital visit. Sharing a picture of herself resting in bed, she penned: "Thank you so much for all your well wishes, after a week I finally feel somewhat normal again. The doctors thought I'd caught a tropical disease from a mosquito when I was away."
Malaria, a common yet severe infection transmitted by mosquitoes, can manifest symptoms six to 10 days post-bite. "I had all the symptoms being, rashes all over my body, headache, body aches, shooting pains in my body, temperature, sore throat and ears etc," Saffron added.
Saffron Barker, the YouTube sensation, had her fans worried after she posted a graphic image on her Instagram Story showing a needle in her arm at the hospital. She clarified that she didn't have malaria, but her white blood cell count was alarmingly low.
"After getting my bloods taken turns out I didn't have that but my white blood cells were half the number they should be so very low and therefore my whole body was trying to fight the infection," Saffron detailed, also sharing a video of the rash that covered her arms.
Her followers breathed a sigh of relief when Saffron later shared a photo from the bath, indicating her recovery. "Today is the first day I have woken up and they are settling so feeling grateful."
This wasn't Saffron's first health scare of the year. She previously sought medical attention during a ski trip in January after a nasty fall.
In August, Saffron found herself having to address speculation over her weight loss. After returning from a six-week acting course in the US, she faced unfounded rumours about her noticeably slimmer appearance.
She revealed in a video: "I think it's quite obvious that I've lost a lot of weight recently - well I say recently, but it's been a gradual thing.
"My diet changed when I went to LA, for all the better. I don't eat anywhere near as much sugar as I used to eat and I never felt so much better for it in my life.
"I've actually worked really hard, frickin' hard. Apparently nowadays you can't lose weight without getting liposuction or being on Ozempic. It's so frustrating, this is the only time I'm going to address it."
