{"id":33978,"date":"2026-08-09T05:30:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T00:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=33978"},"modified":"2026-08-09T05:30:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T00:30:22","slug":"towie-star-freddie-bentley-reveals-horrifying-health-ordeal-that-left-him-critical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=33978","title":{"rendered":"TOWIE star Freddie Bentley reveals horrifying health ordeal that left him &#8216;critical&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_71ac79\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">During a holiday in the Dominican Republic in 2022, Freddie Bentley suffered liver failure &#8211; his health scare led to him being diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC)<\/h2>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\" data-testid=\"byline-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\">22:37, 08 Aug 2026<\/span><span class=\"ArticleTimestamp_updated-date__7qD4Q ArticleTimestamp_updated-date-with-published__iFKpF\" data-testid=\"byline-updatedDate\">Updated 22:38, 08 Aug 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><button xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37529440\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Freddie Bentley\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37529440.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Image.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37529440.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/0_Image.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37529440.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_Image.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37529440.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Image.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Freddie Bentley was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) at the age of 22\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Freddie Bentley was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) at the age of 22<cite aria-label=\"Image: ITV\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: ITV)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">TOWIE star Freddie Bentley has opened up on a horrifying health ordeal that left him fearing for his life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The TV personality, who left the <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/itv\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">ITV<\/a> reality show in February, was hospitalised after suffering liver failure during a boozy holiday in the Dominican Republic in 2022. Freddie, who was 24 at the time, experienced critical symptoms, including severe vomiting and his skin and eyes turning yellow from jaundice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The health ordeal left him in hospital for six weeks. Sharing details of the incident on the official <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/the-only-way-is-essex\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">TOWIE<\/a> podcast, You Alright, Hun?, Freddie said: &#8220;When I was 24, my liver failed. My bile ducts and my liver stopped working properly.<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37135852\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37135852\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.8914646996838778\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Freddie Bentley on TOWIE\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37135852.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_Screenshot-2026-05-10-120948.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37135852.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/1_Screenshot-2026-05-10-120948.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37135852.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_Screenshot-2026-05-10-120948.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37135852.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_Screenshot-2026-05-10-120948.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"The TV star has quit TOWIE\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">The TV star has quit TOWIE<cite aria-label=\"Image: ITV\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: ITV)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;I got jaundice, so I was in hospital for six weeks. A normal liver function level is meant to be, like, 125. Mine was 980. So, wow, I was critical, I was in a really, really bad\u2026 wow.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Freddie&#8217;s condition meant he was &#8220;so poorly&#8221; and &#8220;couldn&#8217;t hold anything down, both ways&#8221; during the holiday. He explained: &#8220;The doctors were worried. They were like, &#8216;You&#8217;re 24 years of age, your liver shouldn&#8217;t be failing.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The reality sar, who has also appeared on The Circle, said the ordeal led to the discovery that he suffers from a rare liver disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), a condition causing chronic inflammation and scarring of the bile ducts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Although his medical team clarified that PSC is a genetic condition completely unrelated to alcohol abuse, Freddie acknowledged that heavy drinking aggravated his symptoms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">As explained by the <a aria-label=\"Mayo ClinicLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/primary-sclerosing-cholangitis\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20355797\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Mayo Clinic<\/a>, PSC, which affects up to one in 10,000 people, is a rare, long-term disease of the liver caused by inflammation of tubes in the liver called bile ducts. &#8220;Scarring and narrowing of bile ducts leads to liver damage,&#8221; the website explains. &#8220;Over time, the liver loses its ability to filter blood and support digestion.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-32358114\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"32358114\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5037593984962405\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Freddie Bentley in a promotional photo for The Circle sporting a black lace shirt\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article32358114.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_The-Circle-Freddie.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article32358114.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/1_The-Circle-Freddie.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article32358114.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_The-Circle-Freddie.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article32358114.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_The-Circle-Freddie.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Freddie also appeared on The Circle\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Freddie also appeared on The Circle<cite aria-label=\"Image: Channel 4\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Channel 4)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Freddie decided to completely change his lifestyle after his health scare &#8211; and he decided to quit drinking completely. &#8220;So I have to look after my liver now obviously,&#8221; he said. &#8220;So I don&#8217;t drink.&#8221; He added: &#8220;I&#8217;m actually a nicer person without a drink. I don&#8217;t need to have a drink to have a good time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Last year, the TV star celebrated three years of sobriety on TOWIE, which he said made him feel &#8220;honoured&#8221;. Speaking to <a aria-label=\"OK!Link opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ok.co.uk\/celebrity-news\/towies-freddie-bentley-left-hospitalised-35957329\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">OK!<\/a>, he said: &#8220;It was amazing to be able to speak my truth about my sobriety journey on TOWIE. I think a lot of people don&#8217;t know about me being sober.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;It&#8217;s something I&#8217;ve really worked on and had my own personal journey with. It was a surreal moment to watch myself back, talking about it on the show. I feel honoured that they dedicated that segment to it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Opening up on the process of giving up alcohol, he explained: &#8220;The first year was the hardest. You grieve your old life \u2013 the nights out, the social side, especially in this industry where you&#8217;re handed a glass of prosecco the minute you arrive at an event. I barely went out at first, I didn&#8217;t feel ready. But over time, I became comfortable in my own skin and now I enjoy everything even more.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">He added: &#8220;Also, in hospital, I felt judged for being a gay man. The doctors immediately jumped to assumptions about unprotected sex and it was the first time I felt truly belittled for my sexuality. That was difficult, but it also pushed me to become stronger.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><em><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Like this story? 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his health scare led to him being diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) 22:37, 08 Aug 2026Updated 22:38, 08 Aug 2026 Freddie Bentley was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) at the age of 22(Image: ITV) TOWIE star Freddie Bentley&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37529440.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200d\/0_Image.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}