Richard Bacon leaves hospital after coming out of coma and thanks NHS 'who definitely saved my life'
Before leaving, the former Blue Peter presenter tweets he is "cleared for take-off" along with a picture of his hospital bed.
Thursday 19 July 2018 20:15, UK
TV presenter Richard Bacon has left hospital days after coming out of a medically induced coma.
Bacon emerged from University Hospital Lewisham in south east London on Thursday with his wife Rebecca, and was walking with the help of a frame.
The former Blue Peter presenter fell ill while flying to Britain from the US.
The 42-year-old was taken off the plane in a wheelchair before being admitted to hospital two weeks ago.
Doctors then put him in a medically induced coma and last week his spokesman said he was "improving all the time".
Before he left the ward, Bacon tweeted that he was "cleared for take off", along with a picture of his hospital bed.
He added: "Gone within the hour. I don't know whether I see this as the bed I nearly died in or the bed that saved my life.
"Either way. I won't miss it. But I will miss the 50 staff of Lewisham Hospital who definitely saved my life. Every. Single. One. Of. Them."
The radio and TV presenter marked his last full day in hospital on Wednesday and paid tribute to Rebecca, saying: "How will I ever thank her?"
He added: "I was in a coma for nine or 10 nights (I just learned). That's a lot of staring at your husband and his pipes. And a lot of worry."
Before his discharge, Bacon also revealed that he had "last-day visitors" - his two children, Ivy and Arthur.
He revealed in a post on Instagram that they were "kept away" while he was on life support, because it was "not my best look".
Bacon had said in tweets which were later deleted that he "nearly died".
He had written: "So, I did six days straight in a coma. Been here another four since.
"It's an (as) yet unidentified double chest infection. I nearly died.
"At one point, as I was run down a hallway to ICU (an intensive care unit) at midnight, with a massive needle jammed in my chest - bit like Pulp Fiction - I thought, 'This is it'."
He praised and thanked the NHS and University Hospital Lewisham, tweeting: "Low on energy but I love and admire all the team LEWISHAM HOSPITAL. VivaTheNHS."