Amanda Holden's 18-year-old daughter Lexi was recently admitted to hospital with a life-threatening E. coli infection amid the latest outbreak.
The Britain's Got Talent judge's eldest child reportedly spent five days on a ward, with Amanda and her husband Chris maintaining a vigil at her bedside.
The incident occurred while Lexi was in the midst of her A-level examinations, adding further stress to an already challenging time.
Speaking to The Sun about the warning signs of E. coli infection, Holden revealed that her daughter had experienced bloating and stomach cramps prior to her hospitalisation.
She said: “For about three weeks, Lexi had been complaining of bloating and stomach cramps.
“She was not happy at all and in quite a lot of pain with her tummy.
“It was around the time of revision and her A-levels, so I was just putting this down to exam stress.”
Holden recounted that after initial GP visits and tests, Lexi was diagnosed with a bacterial infection.
The situation escalated while Amanda was filming in Spain, as she began receiving calls from government officials requesting detailed information about Lexi's recent food consumption and home food storage.
Further tests revealed that Lexi had contracted VTEC E. coli, a rare and particularly harmful strain of thebacteria.
The diagnosis left Amanda perplexed, unable to pinpoint the source of the infection. She even had her pets checked after medical inquiries about potential livestock exposure.
The presenter expressed her alarm when antibiotics proved ineffective, and Lexi's doctor warned of dangerously high blood test results and the risk of sepsis.
"Hearing the word sepsis was terrifying to say the least," Amanda admitted.
Amanda disclosed that Lexi was the 113th recorded case in the country, with her doctor warning that this might be just the beginning of a larger outbreak.
After a five-day hospital stay, Lexi was discharged but continues to undergo follow-up blood tests.
Verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) is a particularly harmful strain of the Escherichia coli bacterium.
Unlike most E. coli strains which are harmless gut inhabitants, VTEC produces a toxin capable of causingserious illness. Symptoms typically appear two to four days after exposure and may include stomach cramps, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, and fever.
