I’m getting there…awful few days with serious infection #Rio pic.twitter.com/ZvZxIRiGNp
— Charlie Webster (@CharlieCW) August 9, 2016
Update 7:20 p.m. ET: According to the BBC, Charlie Webster has been brought out of her medically induced coma after contracting malaria in Rio. Webster remains in intensive care, but the BBC reports that her doctors are “very happy with Charlie’s neurological results.”
She also reportedly communicated with her mother.
“Charlotte knows she nearly died, she mouthed to me earlier, ‘Look at all the machines keeping me alive,'” her mom told the BBC. “Charlotte is really strong, but as doctors keep reminding me, everyone heals differently. I am just so thankful that she’s able to communicate again. It’s been the worst imaginable time – we have been beside ourselves with worry, but the fact Charlotte is now conscious is amazing.”
Original story continues below
Sports presenter Charlie Webster has been placed in a medically induced coma after contracting a rare strain of malaria in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, her agent confirmed to Sky News on Thursday, August 18.
The 33-year-old British TV personality’s team told fans earlier this month that she was suffering from a “severe complication caused by a bacterial infection” that she was being treated for at a Rio hospital. However, a member of Webster’s team later retweeted an article from The Sun, seemingly confirming that the U.K. native’s condition had worsened and that it was due to malaria.
“Thank you very much for your messages of support, it means a lots,” read a message posted to Webster’s official Twitter account on Thursday. “#TeamCharlie.”
Though Webster’s trip to Brazil coincided with the 2016 Olympics, the reason she traveled to South America was to take part in a six-week, 3,000-mile charity bike ride from London to Rio.
According to the BBC, Webster’s mother, brother and manager have flown from the U.K. to Rio to be by her side. A handful of the Sky Sports alum’s former colleagues have taken to social media to send their love and support.
“Just reading the worst news, if anyone’s going to fight their way back to health it is @CharlieCW. Sending prayers,” Sky Sports presenter Hayley McQueen tweeted, while anchor Jim White wrote: “Thinking about my friend and former colleague @CharlieCW, seriously ill after #RidetoRio charity cycle ride.”
A spokesperson for Ride to Rio released a statement on Thursday regarding Webster’s debilitating health.
“She has constantly been in our thoughts since the Ride to Rio challenge finished and we are so glad to hear that both she and her family have been able to receive the right support,” the statement read. “Charlie has been a key member of our team over the past few months and we will continue to send our thoughts and love to Charlie as she hopefully makes a speedy recovery.”
