Jay Aston broke down in tears on Loose Women as she opened up on her daughter's battle with meningitis.
Monday's edition of the ITV news programme was anchored by Kay Adams, who was joined by panelists Frankie Bridge, Katie Piper and Jane Moore. They interviewed the Bucks Fizz singer, who issued a warning about the dangers of meningitis.
The pop star's teenage daughter, Josie, is still in hospital after being diagnosed with bacterial meningitis last month. She was rushed to intensive care, where doctors put her in an induced coma after her organs began to fail.
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Jay initially thought the 18-year-old had heatstroke when she developed a rash, but soon realised it was something more severe when her symptoms worsened. She said: "The temperature was still really high, she didn't look right, her eyes were glassy. I gave her some more medication to keep her temperature down.
"Fortunately she stayed in my bed so I could keep an eye on her. If she'd have gone in her own bed, I don't think I'd have a daughter."
The worried mum called 111 who ordered an ambulance, but she ended up driving her sick child to Princess Royal University Hospital in Farnborough, Kent, herself after an ambulance failed to show. Within an hour of arriving at hospital, Josie’s entire body was covered in the rash and the following day, when her lungs began to fail, she was taken to intensive care where she was put into an induced coma, given oxygen and treated with antibiotics.
Jay broke down in floods of tears as she relived her daughter's battle with meningitis. Eventually, Josie began to improve and finally opened her eyes once more. But her road to recovery isn't over yet as she still remains in hospital.
Jay added: "Her bloods haven't been great for a while. Her kidneys had failed for a few weeks, but they are starting to work. Her creatine levels haven't been going in the right direction but they have stabilised. If they go in the right direction for two days then she can go home."
Jay urged anyone displaying warning signs of meningitis to get checked by a doctor as soon as possible and was praised by the panelists for sharing the life-saving message.
The ITV programme displayed a graphic on screen featuring meningitis warning signs, which included:
- A high temperature
- Cold hands and feet
- Vomiting
- Headaches
- Fast breathing
- A rash
- A stiff neck
- Muscle & joint pain
- Sensitivity to lights
- Seizures
- Drowsiness/unresponsiveness
Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV and ITV Hub
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