Maura Higgins has revealed that she nearly died from toxic shock syndrome after a tampon was lodged inside her for three months.
Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a rare but life-threatening condition caused by bacteria getting into the body and releasing harmful toxins.
Appearing on Shopping with Keith Lemon, the Irish reality TV star, 31, opens up about her "very bad experience" for the first time in hopes to raise awareness of the seriousness of TSS.
During the episode of the show set to air tonight on ITV 2, Keith asks her "Is it true that you suffered from toxic shock syndrome?" to which Maura says: "I did have a very bad experience"
Maura goes on to detail "I’m not a doctor, I don’t know much about that [TSS], but I know you are not meant to leave a tampon inside for more than, I think it’s nine hours, I think that’s the max.”
“There was a tampon inside me for three months. When the doctor found it, it was stuck to my cervix. And I was so ill. I did not know what was going on.
“There were people that have died from that happening,” she continued.
“Young girls might not have noticed, like you go on a night out, what if you got really drunk and forgot, like, these things actually do happen, and people don’t speak about it.”
"I remember even being in school, I used to get my tampon out the bag, push it up my sleeve and then go to the toilet like that... thinking back, why was I doing that?
"It's nothing to be ashamed about, that's why I think it's an important topic isn't it?"
Elsewhere in the episode, the former Love Island Star also admits that she "used to get lip filler in my lips before Love Island, all the time" and now she looks back at photos with disgust, saying that she "has not touched it since coming out of Love Island".
