Great British Bake Off star Mary Berry opens up on 'lucky' recovery from deadly illness
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Dame Mary Berry, the renowned Great British Bake Off star, has candidly shared how a life-threatening childhood illness continues to affect her to this day.
Dame Mary, who has been a respected figure in the culinary world for years, developed a passion for cooking and baking in her 20s while studying at the prestigious Cordon Bleu in Paris during the 1960s.
As she rose to prominence, the 90-year-old made her television debut in the early 1970s alongside Judith Chalmers. In the 1980s, she balanced raising three children with releasing books and filming BBC TV series.
However, her journey was marked by a potentially fatal illness she contracted as a teenager. Reflecting on that uncertain period, Dame Mary recalled being taken to hospital and learning about her condition after falling ill.
(Image: undefined via Getty Images)
Speaking on the Lessons From Our Mothers podcast, she recalled: "I remember saying to the nurse, who was absolutely covered in masks, 'what's wrong with me?'.
"She picked up a clipboard from the end of the table and said 'you've got infantile paralysis'. I had no idea what that was."
However, after going on to make a full recovery, the baker admitted "I was so lucky". She said: "It's only just down the left side. I've got a bit of a funny hand, but people think it's arthritis, but it's polio. And I've got a bit of a curve in my spine."
(Image: undefined via Getty Images)
The beloved television personality has fared better than many, overcoming infantile paralysis, known as polio, though not without lingering effects.
Not everyone has been as fortunate with polio; some sufferers have experienced dangerous complications like meningitis and encephalitis, while tragically, others have succumbed to the disease.
The UK, which last saw a confirmed case of polio in 1984, has, in large part, the vast vaccination programme to thank for the lack of cases since the 1980s.
(Image: Getty Images)
Those who contract polio may experience symptoms such as a high temperature, fatigue, headaches, vomiting, a stiff neck, and muscle pain, as noted by the NHS.
Fans of Dame Mary can look forward to seeing her on TV again, as she will feature at 7.30 pm tonight (May 24) during the RHS Chelsea Flower Show broadcasts on BBC One.
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