BBC Strictly Come Dancing star rushed to hospital amid fears of 'tropical disease'

Saffron Barker has been sharing a series of updates on social media revealing she was rushed to A&E after suffering from a 'tropical disease' amid a rash on her body

Strictly Come Dancing star Saffron Barker has been rushed to hospital over concerns she had contracted a "tropical disease". The 24 year old social media influencer, who made history as the first of her kind on the BBC dance show in 2019, shared a series of worrying updates via her Instagram Stories on Thursday, October 3.

Fans saw images of her skin covered in red rashes, an IV drip in her arm, and bruises from blood tests. In a caption next to a photo of her resting in bed, she expressed gratitude: "Thank you so much for all your well wishes, after a week I finally feel somewhat normal again. The doctors thought I'd caught a tropical disease from a mosquito when I was away."

She detailed her symptoms: "I had all the symptoms being, rashes all over my body, headache, body aches, shooting pains in my body, temperature, sore throat and ears etc."

Read more: Another blow for Strictly star

Saffron then reassured followers that it wasn't malaria but revealed concerning blood test results: "After getting my bloods taken turns out I didn't have that but my white blood cells were half the number they should be so very low and therefore my whole body was trying to fight the infection."

Accompanying a picture of her rash-covered arm, she explained: "This is what the rashes looked like all over my body."

In a final update, she posted a bath-time photo showing her arm looking better.

She shared on her social media: "Today is the first day I have woken up and they are settling so feeling grateful."

Earlier this year, Saffron sought medical attention during a skiing holiday in January after a painful tumble.

In August, she found herself having to defend her recent weight loss amidst swirling rumours.

The YouTube sensation had jetted off to the US in June for a six-week acting course, and upon her return to the UK, was met with a barrage of comments about her slimmed-down appearance.

She responded in an online video: "I think it's quite obvious that I've lost a lot of weight recently well I say recently, but it's been a gradual thing. My diet changed when I went to LA, for all the better. I don't eat anywhere near as much sugar as I used to eat and I never felt so much better for it in my life."

"I've actually worked really hard, frickin' hard. Apparently nowadays you can't lose weight without getting liposuction or being on Ozempic. It's so frustrating, this is the only time I'm going to address it."