Gold Coast MMA fighter Chelsea Hackett leaves Survivor after on-set health scare

Gold Coast MMA fighter Chelsea Hackett was ruled out of continuing on Australian Survivor after she was taken to hospital and placed on an IV drip 27 days into filming

Chelsea Hackett was ruled out of continuing Australian Survivor after she was taken to hospital suffering dehydration and an infection that left her body “shutting down”.

Having suffered dizziness and headaches for two days, the Gold Coast professional MMA fighter was checked over by the show’s doctor following Monday night’s tribal council, which took place on day 27 of filming, and subsequently sent to hospital in Cloncurry where she was so dehydrated staff were unable to conduct a blood test.

The show’s medical staff subsequently ruled her out of continuing during Tuesday night’s episode of the Channel 10 reality show.

“I was just worried. I wasn’t feeling well at all,” Hackett said.

“I felt like I was losing weight really quickly. I knew my body would probably not react very well to that and it didn’t. It started shutting down.

Chelsea Hackett on Australian Survivor. Picture: Supplied/ Channel 10

“They tried to do some blood tests but I was so dehydrated they couldn’t take any blood. They got me on an IV drip straight away to put fluids back into my body.”

Hackett was diagnosed with an inner ear infection, which had resulted in dizziness and headaches. The symptoms were worsened by food deprivation and dehydration after having lived under the difficult Survivor conditions in Outback Queensland for 27 days.

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Australian Survivor rules state that once a player is away from camp for 24 hours they forfeit their position in the game.

Despite nurses’ advice to stay overnight, Hackett returned to camp after 20 hours but the Survivor doctor ruled her out of re-entering the game.

The 21-year-old said her MMA career was at the front of her mind.

“They made the call that they didn’t feel comfortable putting me back in those conditions,” she said.

“It was pretty hard because I’d made it so far and everyone wants to see how far they can go, but I also knew my body was telling me to stop and slowly shutting down and I needed to listen to it.”

“I’ve done 30 fights and I’ve cut weight for them but I’d never got to the point of being on an IV drip from dehydration, so that was a big wake up call.”

“My future in MMA is big and I want it to be, so I had to put that first.”

Hackett, who lost 8kg during the 27 days of filming, said after returning home to the Gold Coast she visited a general practitioner, who reaffirmed leaving the show had been the best choice.

Survivor production staff kept in regular contact with her after filming to track her progress.

“Survivor was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It was so fulfilling … I’m so grateful for the experience,” she said.

“As much as I left on a bad note, and I didn’t want to leave that way, I’m really happy with how long I lasted.”

“It’s been hard getting back into training. I feel like I haven’t had a 100 per cent training session yet. It’s definitely getting there. I feel so much better and I can’t wait to get back.”