Emma Willis Undergoes Emergency Surgery To Fix 'Horribly Infected Appendix'

The presenter thought she just had a 'bad case of trapped wind'.
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Emma Willis has undergone emergency surgery after coming down with a severe case of appendicitis.

The ‘Big Brother’ presenter has spent the last week in hospital, after admitting herself with a stomach ache. 

It turned out that her pain was actually a “horribly infected appendix”, which required an urgent operation. 

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Emma Willis has undergone emergency surgery
PA Wire/PA Images

Emma has since thanked NHS staff for her care, as she opened up about her ordeal on Instagram. 

Sharing a photo of herself in hospital with her surgeon, she wrote: “It’s been a funny old week…. Post 1 of 2… A week ago yesterday, I was meant to take @mattjwillis on a surprise birthday trip to Ibiza.

“Instead, at 6am, I entered Barnet General A&E with a stomach ache that was getting progressively worse. I thought I may be wasting everyone’s time with a bad case of trapped wind, but 9 hours later, I was wheeled into theatre and what they found was a horribly infected appendix.

“The man in this picture was my surgeon, Marco Venza. He, and his team, were incredible. Thank you so so much for taking care of me and for putting me at ease every time I panicked!”

She added: “Thank you to Amy, Scarlet, Karen, Caroline, Sophia, Jan, Mary-Beth, Gemma, Maha, Clement, Gabriel, and all the other brilliant and kind people who work on Damson ward.

“And finally, to everyone working their butts off within the NHS fighting to make it work, thank YOU! #longlivetheNHS.”

Once she is back on her feet, Emma is due to front the new series of ‘Big Brother’, which kicks off next month. 

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Emma will be back on 'Big Brother' duties next month
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Bosses revealed a new eye logo for the 18th civilian series last week, which has a British theme, with producers remarking the Channel 5 show will “present a must-watch culture clash of modern Britain”.

It seems they are making a concerted effort to return ‘Big Brother’ to its social experiment roots too, as they added fans should be ready “for a very British summer of contrasts, conflicts and collaboration...and more fireworks than you could imagine, as a selection of people, from a range of backgrounds, come together.”

'Big Brother' Winners Through The Years
Craig Phillips(01 of18)
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Craig won the first ever series of 'Big Brother', paving the way for over a decade more of bitching, sexual tension and arguing over the shopping budget. (credit:Sean Dempsey/PA Archive)
Brian Dowling(02 of18)
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'Big Brother' really found its feet in series two, when former flight attendant Brian Dowling was crowned the winner. (credit:John Stillwell/PA Archive)
Kate Lawler(03 of18)
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'Big Brother' had its first ever female winner in 2002, with Kate Lawler snatching the title. (credit:Yui Mok/PA Archive)
Cameron Stout(04 of18)
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Dubbed the most boring 'BB' ever, series four was eventually won by laugh-a-minute heartthrob, Cameron Stout. (credit:PA Archive)
Nadia Almada(05 of18)
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In one of the best moments in 'BB' history, Nadia was moved to tears with the cheers from the crowd and fireworks that surrounded her as she was named the winner of 'Big Brother 5'. (credit:Andy Butterton/PA Archive)
Anthony Hutton(06 of18)
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It isn't hard to see why the public chose Anthony as their winner in 2005... (credit:Steve Parsons/PA Archive)
Pete Bennett(07 of18)
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Pete's win was a typically understated one... (credit:Yui Mok/PA Archive)
Brian Belo(08 of18)
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True, he didn't know who Shakespeare was, but Brian's endearing nature landed him the title of 'BB' winner in series eight. (credit:Stuart Wilson via Getty Images)
Rachel Rice(09 of18)
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Good dress. (credit:Mike Marsland via Getty Images)
Sophie Reade(10 of18)
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Sophie Reade was amazed when she was voted the winner of 'Big Brother 10', but the real star of the show was Davina McCall's quiff.10/10, Davina. Well done all concerned. (credit:Mike Marsland via Getty Images)
Josie Gibson(11 of18)
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After winning 'Big Brother 11', Josie was quickly thrown back into the house when 'Ultimate Big Brother' started, but walked after a few days declaring "I'm not a celebrity I'm just normal".We suppose it was sharing a house with A-listers like Preston from the Ordinary Boys and Makosi that intimidated her so much. (credit:Doug Peters/Doug Peters)
Brian Dowling(12 of18)
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The people's favourite, Brian triumphed over Nadia, Makosi, Josie and - bizarrely - Ulrika Jonsson to be crowned 'Ultimate Housemate'. (credit:Yui Mok/PA Archive)
Aaron Allard-Morgan(13 of18)
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In Channel 5's first crack at the 'BB' whip, Aaron Allard-Morgan was named the public's favourite and walked away with the cash prize. (credit:Nat Jag via Getty Images)
Luke Anderson(14 of18)
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In 2012, 'BB' had one of its bitchiest years ever with the housemates basically turning on each other from the get go. Luke Anderson became the second ever transgender winner that year. (credit:Mike Marsland via Getty Images)
Sam Evans(15 of18)
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In what turned out to be a vintage year for 'BB', Sam Evans was voted the winner. Since scooping the prize it's thought he's gone back to his old job at Debenhams. Living the dream. (credit:Danny Martindale via Getty Images)
Helen Wood (16 of18)
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Then there's Helen Wood. Well, what can we say? Her face says it all. (credit:Karwai Tang via Getty Images)
Chloe Wilburn (17 of18)
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While the returning Nikki Grahame was obviously the star of the series, she wasn't eligible to win (sadly). Instead, the 'Timebomb'-themed run was won by normal lass Chloe. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive)
Jason Burrill(18 of18)
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In another shock win, Jason was crowned the champion of the 2017 run over bookies' favourite Hughie Morgan, much to the disgust of his ex-girlfriend and fellow housemate Charlie Doherty. (credit:Jeff Spicer via Getty Images)