Jack Whitehall says girlfriend Roxy Horner discovered she is diabetic after collapsing at Brit Awards
Jack Whitehall has opened up about his girlfriend Roxy Horner collapsing at the 2021 Brit Awards, where he had been hosting the ceremony.
Horner, 31, was rushed to hospital after fainting at the O2 in London and later discovered she has diabetes.
The 34-year-old comedian recalled paramedics “trying to resuscitate” his girlfriend as her sugar levels “were spiking dangerously” when she had a “diabetic hypo”.
“Hypo” is short for hypoglycaemia, which occurs when a person’s blood sugar level drops too low and can be dangerous if not treated quickly.
According to The Sun, Whitehall said during his stand-up show in Southend-on-Sea on Wednesday night (15 March): “We found out she had diabetes the night I was hosting the Brits. She had something called a diabetic hypo and she fainted.
“Paramedics were trying to resuscitate her and her sugar levels were spiking dangerously. We ended up in A&E on the night of the Brits, which definitely made for a slightly different vibe of an after-party.”
He continued: “The year before I was hobnobbing with Stormzy and Sir Elton John and this time I was sitting in the emergency room of an A&E unit sat next to a Scottish gentleman who smelled of Special Brew.”
Horner was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a month before her 30th birthday. Last year, she revealed that she “felt like I was dying” when she began experiencing symptoms of fatigue in 2019.
She told The Sun: “I felt extremely tired and exhausted for a long time, I had no energy. I couldn’t even go for a walk, it was draining, I felt like I was dying. I was drinking four to eight litres of water a day.”
Other symptoms that she experienced included a poor memory, inability to focus and “randomly throwing up”.
The model said she “knew there was something really wrong with me” but claimed that doctors did not test her for diabetes because “I didn’t fit the criteria”.
She praised Whitehall, who she has been with for four years, as her “rock” throughout the ordeal.
“He was there when I got diagnosed. My parents and my family live in Australia, so he has been my family. We’re amazing,” Horner said.
Whitehall joked during his show that the Brits was “obviously the worst place to have a medical emergency as the only doctor in the house was Dre”.
He added: “To be fair, I was experiencing quite a lot of the symptoms of a diabetic hypo while I was watching Harry [Styles] as well.”
Around eight per cent of people with diabetes in the UK have Type 1 diabetes, which is a lifelong condition.