The Traitors’ Charlotte Chilton has revealed that she is having brain surgery after being rushed to A&E.
The star announced on social media that she had a ‘huge’ trigeminal neuralgia attack.
Trigeminal neuralgia is sudden, severe facial pain which is often described as a sharp, shooting pain.
She shared an image of herself in a hospital bed, with the caption explaining her medical situation.
‘As many of you know I have tried to raise awareness of the condition trigeminal neuralgia.
‘I have unfortunately found myself back in hospital with a terrible attack and this has resulted in me needing another neurosurgery to control it,’ she shared on Instagram.
‘Having surgery on your brain is always daunting, however this has long term relief and allows me to get on with my life.
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‘After being rushed into A and E with a huge attack, I have been taken care of by the amazing Neuro team at QE hospital and today I have an operation to relieve me of my physical torture.
‘For my TN followers keep fighting to find the right team to support you. They call this the suicide disease for a reason. I’m so grateful for my family and friends who have supported me through this hellish week! Wish me luck and see you on the other side!!’
What is trigeminal neuralgia?
The NHS describes trigeminal neuralgia as a sudden, severe facial pain, often described as a sharp shooting pain or like having an electric shock in the jaw, teeth or gums.
The website explains: ‘It usually happens in short, unpredictable attacks that can last from a few seconds to about 2 minutes. The attacks stop as suddenly as they start.
‘In most cases, trigeminal neuralgia affects just one side of the face, with the pain usually felt in the lower part of the face. Very occasionally the pain can affect both sides of the face, although not usually at the same time.’
The charity Trigeminal Neuralgia UK outlines that the condition is ‘sudden, severe, brief, stabbing pain occurring in attacks lasting at the most a few seconds usually only on one side of the face and provoked by light touch’, adding that it’s described as being ‘the worst pain known to man’.
Trigeminal neuralgia is also known as the ‘suicide disease’.
Charlotte has previously opened up about this debilitating issue, telling Metro in January 2024 about her struggles with the disease.
‘You don’t know when you’re going to have your next pain and when you do have your pain, it can be managed sometimes with painkillers or it can be to a point you’re screaming, you want to stick a knife in your face because it’s unbearable.
‘It’s actually known as the “suicide disease” because it has such a high percentage of people who [die by] suicide because it’s just agony. It’s the worst pain condition you can have,’ she said at the time.
She also revealed that she had surgery on her
‘This time they shredded the nerve as well as padding it all out in the hope that this would really help and it did, but the downside is the recovery was a lot worse and short term memory loss.’
Gesturing on the right side of her face, she added: ‘My speech was not very good because I’ve got no feeling from here, down to half of my tongue. I can’t feel anything along this side.’
She also vowed that she wouldn’t let it control her life: ‘But what I do know is that I can’t let it rule me. I can’t live in fear. I’ve lived in fear for 10 years. This is my 30s. We got over Covid, I’m gonna seize the day and push myself and that’s what I’ve done.’
Charlotte made headlines earlier this year when she claimed influencer and musician Conor Maynard was the father of her baby.
Just before giving birth to her daughter Penelope in October 2024, Charlotte publicly announced Conor as the father, explaining they’d been introduced by her castmate Harry Clark, whose girlfriend is Conor’s younger sister, Anna.
In March, Conor revealed that a paternity test confirmed he was not Penelope’s father, with a second taken in August.
Charlotte still maintains that Maynard is the father of her daughter.
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