Young businesswoman Sophie Taylor has revealed she suffered agony from a debilitating health condition while competing to win investment from Gordon Ramsay on the chef's Future Food Stars show.
Sophie, 24, had no idea what was causing her painful symptoms during filming of the show. But since then she has been diagnosed with severe irritable bowel syndrome and is working to raise awareness of the condition, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Sophie, the founder of Sophie’s Iced Coffee, a range of ready-to-drink dairy-free iced coffees, is one of 12 contestants competing to win a £150,000 business investment from Ramsay to help support her business growth in the new series of the show, which launched tonight (Thursday, March 30) on BBC One.
The series was recorded last June and since then Sophie, from Essex, has been trying a range of treatments for her condition, as well as becoming an ambassador for the IBS Network. The charity helps the one in five people, two-thirds of whom are women, who suffer from IBS in the UK.
But when the symptoms hit on set, Sophie was baffled, as well as suffering both pain and embarrassment. She said: "We were filming and I didn't know about IBS but I started having symptoms at this time. I had really bad flatulence and I was miked up at the time so I was worried it was going to be more amplified by the mic.
"The production team were really amazing and managed to go up and speak to the medic on site. I was in a lot of pain and had cramps. Because I didn't know it was IBS at the time I didn't know what was going on so I was scared and anxious. But I didn't want to quit."
Sophie added: "It's a taboo subject and nobody wants to say, 'Sorry I've got diarrhoea coming out of me right now' or, 'I can't stop the flatulence.' The opportunity meant so much to me and because my performance was affected I thought I had to do something to raise awareness.
"It's a condition where it's hard to get diagnosed. It's hard to have it taken seriously as well. Also people don't want to talk about it. Sometimes even now I'm embarrassed or I'll laugh when I'm taking about it.
"I want to go for my dreams so I just want to raise awareness so that other people don't feel so self-conscious about talking about it. Hopefully one day we'll get a cure to help us a bit more.
"We don't want to talk about our toilet habits, and from the business side of things it's always going to be harder for women. You have to fight that little bit harder. It's bad enough that without having to run out because you've got diarrhoea.
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"I talk about it in the gruesomest way because it's hard to understand how serious it is."
Since filming ended, Sophie has undergone a multitude of tests including colonoscopies, endoscopies, and ultrasounds, as well as trying many different medications. She is currently taking amitriptyline which reduces the symptoms for one in three people diagnosed with IBS.
So far, nothing has worked to reduce her symptoms. She currently has at least six bouts of diarrhoea per day and suffers continuous painful cramping. Most of her time is spent on the toilet or running to the toilet and it’s been affecting her day-to-day life.
As well as feeling nervous and anxious to leave the house she will refrain from eating food if she does have to go out to limit the effects. She said: "Day to day I never know when it's going to strike or what can cause it, or how to manage it. I try as much as I can to work at home.
"There have been times when I've been having a Zoom call and I've had to sit feeling really uncomfortable. I have to live life around IBS and I am scared sometimes to leave the house."
To celebrate the screening of the series, Sophie has launched a limited edition Americano canned drink alongside her original hazelnut and coconut and hazelnut and coconut with turmeric drinks.
Sophie, who is intolerant to dairy, started out making her vegan iced coffees at the age of 17 when she was working in her local coffee shop in Essex. She pitched to Dragons' Den star Peter Jones as part of the Young National Entrepreneur Competition and her drinks are currently stocked by Holland and Barrett, B&M, and Herron Foods, as well as being available to order online.
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