Politics
‘Fifty Shades’ Star Hospitalized With Heart-Attack Symptoms At 41
Jamie Dornan, renowned for his role in “Fifty Shades of Grey,” was recently hospitalized with symptoms resembling a heart attack, following an encounter with toxic caterpillars during a trip to Portugal. The alarming incident was disclosed by Dornan’s friend, Gordon Smart, who experienced similar symptoms at a golf resort last year.
Smart, recalling their harrowing experience on the BBC’s “The Good, the Bad and the Unexpected” podcast, mentioned that they initially mistook their health issues for hangover symptoms. However, they were later informed that their condition was caused by contact with processionary caterpillars. These caterpillars are notorious for their tiny hairs containing a harmful protein, which can cause severe skin, eye, and throat irritations.
“Now, I’m a fairly healthy guy but once you start thinking, you’re having a heart attack, you’re pretty sure that you’re convincing yourself that you are having one,” Smart said.
Smart described the onset of his symptoms as a tingling sensation in his left hand and arm, which he feared was indicative of a heart attack according to PageSix. After being monitored in the hospital, he was discharged, only to find Dornan also experiencing numbness in his limbs and subsequently being rushed to the hospital.
“Jamie said, ‘Dear me. Gordon, about 20 minutes after you left, my left arm went numb, my left leg went numb, my right leg went numb, and I found myself in the back of an ambulance.'” Smart added, “Anyway, as he left the hospital, the paramedics asked them for a selfie, which is really what you want when you’re being wheeled out of a hospital room.”
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The doctor later informed them that their symptoms might have been triggered by the toxic caterpillars, known to be a hazard on golf courses in southern Portugal. These caterpillars have been responsible for harming pets and causing heart attack-like symptoms in men in their 40s.
Pine processionary moth caterpillars are notorious for the health risks they pose. These caterpillars have tiny, barbed hairs (setae) that contain a protein that can be harmful. These hairs can become airborne and, when in contact with skin, can cause allergic reactions including rashes, itching, and irritation. The severity of the reaction can vary depending on individual sensitivity and the amount of contact.
“And it turns out that there are caterpillars on golf courses in the south of Portugal that have been killing people’s dogs and giving men in their 40s heart attacks,” Smart explained. If the hairs are inhaled, they can cause respiratory distress, coughing, and in severe cases, an allergic reaction in the lungs. Eye contact is also dangerous, potentially leading to eye irritations or conjunctivitis.
He recounted, “It turns out we’d brushed up against hairy processionary caterpillars and have been very lucky to come out of that one alive.”
“So there’s my story; the good news is it wasn’t a caffeine overdose, it wasn’t a hangover — it was a poisonous, toxic caterpillar,” he added. Dornan and Smart were fortunate to survive the unusual and dangerous encounter.
