British singer and reality TV star Amelia Lily was forced to cancel a scheduled performance at the Sunderland Food and Drink Festival after being rushed to the hospital due to a severe underlying infection. The 29-year-old, who rose to fame on The X Factor UK in 2011 and later appeared on Geordie Shore, took to Instagram to inform her followers of her medical emergency.
“Hello everyone, after a really tough week of being severely unwell, I have never felt like this in my life,” she wrote, sharing a photo of herself hooked up to an IV drip in a hospital ward. “I have been admitted into hospital with an underlying infection. I am so sorry that I won’t be able to perform tomorrow evening at the [Sunderland Food & Drink Festival].”
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Lily, who has had diabetes since the age of three, expressed her disappointment at having to cancel the gig. “I love performing and am absolutely gutted I can’t be there tomorrow, but I know I’m in the best place,” she added.
The following day, Lily provided an update on her condition, revealing that her illness was due to an untreated urinary tract infection (UTI) that had progressed into a kidney infection. “It resulted in being a kidney infection which came from a uti was left untreated,” she explained. “I felt pain in my lower back at the start of the week and tried for three days to get into my drs but they were not taking anymore appointments or e consults which resulted into my vomiting and having migraine and a fever, but with me being diabetic things get a little more complicated as you can imagine.”
Lily was grateful for the medical staff who cared for her, saying, “I just want to say a massive thank you to all the wonderful staff on ward 37 at James Cook hospital who looked after me and gave me the best care. I admire each and every single one of you how hard you all work.”
A photo of the “You Bring Me Joy” star circulating later led to another clarification on her Instagram page. “I’ve been tagged in some articles using this pic,” she wrote, using three finger-pointing emoji to indicate a photo of herself with an IV in her arm. “Just to clarify, this photo was taken from February where I was having my eye hospital appointment for diabetes!!! This photo is in no way shape or form linked to me being in hospital this weekend with a kindkey infection!!! The last thing on my mind was taking a selfie in the hospital as I’ve been that sick!”
The singer’s health scare is not her first brush with complications related to her diabetes. In February, she shared on Instagram that she had spent over two hours in the hospital due to issues connected to the chronic condition. “Being diabetic is exhausting sometimes on us mentally. All of you that have it know what I mean,” she wrote at the time.
Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood sugar levels to become too high. There are two main types: Type 1, where the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin, and Type 2, where the body does not produce enough insulin or the body’s cells do not react to insulin properly. Type 2 is far more common, accounting for around 90–95% of all adult diabetes cases in the U.S., per Medical News Today.
Lily has Type 1 diabetes, which means her pancreas does not produce any insulin. She has been managing the condition since her childhood, requiring multiple daily insulin injections and careful monitoring of her blood sugar levels. During her time on The X Factor, Lily disclosed that her diabetes is so severe that there is a risk of blindness if her blood sugar becomes too high.
“I need four injections a day and I’ve had it for 14 years now,” Lily told the Daily Star in 2011. “I used to have fits when I was younger.”
Performing on stage presents additional challenges for Lily, as the adrenaline rush can cause fluctuations in her blood sugar levels. “Adrenalin uses a lot of energy, so I need to decrease my insulin before I perform. It’s hard to get the balance right, but I always decrease my insulin just before performing to be safe,” she explained. “There’s still a risk that something could happen on stage, but I can tell if I’m shaking or need chocolate.”
