BBC Sport F1 presenter Jennie Gow breaks down in tears on TV after husband recalls her terrifying stroke
FORMULA ONE reporter Jennie Gow broke down to tears as she shared an emotional update after suffering a stroke.
The BBC broadcaster, 46, revealed in January she had suffered a “serious stroke”.
This is a powerful story of how @BBCSport presenter, @JennieGow, overcame one of the biggest challenges of her life after suffering a devastating stroke last year.
— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) May 22, 2023
To mark Stroke Awareness Month, she's offered to share this story… #TheOneShowhttps://t.co/eNLUi3kjTn pic.twitter.com/wxBpAzwDfK
Having posted an update a couple of weeks after her frightening ordeal, she has now appeared in a short film to recount the experience.
The film, which aired on BBC‘s The One Show, saw Gow reveal how her “extremely rare” stroke was caused by a cough she developed.
In the short film, she began by recounting her career as an F1 reporter before saying: “But then my life changed dramatically.
“At 45, I suffered a serious stroke. And I’ve spent the last few months learning to walk, and more significantly, to talk again.
“Just after Christmas I got sick, it wasn’t Covid, but I had a terrible cough and then my husband Jamie found me collapsed in the bathroom.”
Jamie then revealed the panic which set over him at the time.
He said: “I was trying to call your name and get you to speak to me and I was just getting nothing back from you. It was the worst moment of my life.”
Upon hearing his response, Gow could not hold back her emotions and broke down into tears.
Their daughter, Isabel, was described as a “superstar” by Jamie, with the six-year-old rushing to grab some pillows and put them under her mothers head before passing to the phone to Jamie.
After being rushed to Frimley Park hospital and receiving “very prompt” treatment, Gow later posted a message on social media.
She wrote: “Hi everyone, been quiet the last few weeks, this is because I suffered a serious stroke two weeks ago.
“My husband is helping me type this, as I’m finding it hard to write and my speech is most affected.
“I’m desperate to make a full recovery and return to work but it might take some time.
“Thank you to the medical teams at Frimley and St George’s and my family and friends who’ve got me through the last fortnight X.”
Dr Thomas Pain, one of Gow’s consultants, appeared in the video to explain how her stroke was caused.
He said: “The majority of strokes are caused by a blockage in a blood vessel which supplies the brain.
“Your stroke was caused by a clot from the carotid artery, in the neck, a tear in the blood vessel due to coughing and a viral infection you had at the time.
“That clot flew up the vessel, causing the stroke on the left side of the brain.”
After being transferred to a specialist unit at St Georges’ in London, Gow had her clot successfully removed before any significant damage was caused.
Gow vowed to continue down her road of recovery, despite admitting she still feels numb down her right side and is suffering with no sense of taste.
She declared: “I’m determined to come back as strong as ever and I want to share my experiences to try and shine a light on stroke survivors – and if this can help just one person that will be enough.”