TV host Charlie Webster back in UK after malaria coma

  • Published
Charlie WebsterImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Charlie Webster became unwell in Brazil after watching the Olympic opening ceremony

A television sports presenter who was placed in a coma after contracting malaria in Rio has arrived back in the UK.

Charlie Webster, 33, who has worked for Sky and ITV, became unwell after watching the Olympic opening ceremony.

She was taken to hospital where she was diagnosed with a rare strain of the disease.

Webster, from Sheffield, is in a stable but serious condition at St James's Hospital in Leeds.

In a statement she thanked the public for their support and said doctors in Brazil had saved her life.

Image source, Charlie Webster
Image caption,
Specialists are trying to find out where Ms Webster may have caught the disease

She added: "The last few weeks have been hell and I'm just so thankful to be here."

The presenter was admitted to hospital after becoming unwell while watching the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on 6 August.

Doctors initially believed she was dehydrated after completing a 3,000-mile charity cycle ride to the Brazilian city.

But her condition deteriorated and she fell unconscious before being placed in a coma.

Specialists are now trying to find out where she may have caught the disease.

Who is Charlie Webster?

Image source, Ride to Rio
Image caption,
The ride finished in time for the Olympic opening ceremony
  • Born in Sheffield in 1982 and studied language and linguistics at Newcastle University
  • Worked as a personal trainer, fitness instructor, model and actress
  • Began her sports broadcasting career working for Real Madrid International TV
  • Became the first live female football presenter in Asia for ESPN and Star Sports in 2006
  • Has since presented for the BBC, ITV, Sky Sports and Channel 4
  • Has campaigned for women's rights specifically in relation to sexual and domestic abuse; in 2014 she revealed she had been abused as a teenager
  • Has undertaken a number of challenges for charity including the London Marathon

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