‘Big Brother’ Alum Hospitalized After Drinking Detergent: Latest on Francesca De Andre

Former Italian Big Brother contestant Francesca De Andre has been hospitalized following an alarming incident where she mistook cleaning solution for yogurt. The 34-year-old reality star, who appeared on Grande Fratello in 2019, shared details of the frightening experience on social media.

“At home, happy and you mistake the glass of detergent left there by mistake for yogurt,” De Andre wrote in an English-translated Oct. 31 Instagram post via E! Online. “I risked death today.. and maybe also those who were worried about me when they saw and heard me sick and screaming from the pain of internal corrosion and being forced to run to the hospital…”

The reality star detailed the potential severity of her condition, explaining that “the detergent risked damaging my liver, appendix, stomach, intestines.” She added concerns about “the corroded respiratory and gastrointestinal systems.” Using her experience as a cautionary tale, De Andre urged followers to “be careful, especially children and animals who may have access to it,” noting that this was “just a moment. Now we’re here, after that we don’t know.”

This medical emergency follows a series of challenging health issues for De Andre, the niece of renowned Italian singer-songwriter Fabrizio De Andre. In September 2023, she underwent surgery after doctors discovered cancerous masses during an ultrasound. The procedure resulted in her being unable to “have children naturally” as doctors “had to take everything [out],” according to Il Gazzettino.

The health scares also come amid personal turmoil for De Andre. In April, her ex-boyfriend Giorgio Tambellini was sentenced to three years and three months in prison for abuse and aggravated assault. The verdict from the court of Lucca came after a year-long trial and included a restraining order against the 40-year-old, per Il Messaggero.

The abuse case stemmed from a horrific incident that De Andre previously detailed to Chi magazine via Il Messaggero: “My boyfriend was about to kill me. I remember a series of kicks in the head, then nothing. My neighbor saved me. I hope he ends up in jail and that the worst happens to him there.” She explained how she was saved: “As soon as I regained consciousness, my neighbor, who had heard the screams, saved me: she took me to her place and, scared, called the Carabinieri and ambulance.”

The attack resulted in her hospitalization “in a red code” with cranial trauma. “I was unrecognizable,” De Andre recalled, per the outlet. “At first, I was diagnosed with twenty days of prognosis: and this was a drama, because under twenty-one days they could not keep him in custody. However, the head CT scan showed a cranial trauma, and then there was the body completely battered.”

The abuse had begun showing signs during De Andre’s appearance on Big Brother, where host Barbara D’Urso noticed and addressed Tambellini’s concerning behavior toward De Andre during a live broadcast. Despite this public warning, the couple reconciled briefly before the relationship ended in violence.