Ariarne Titmus reveals how hospital staff’s ‘uncalled for’ acts forced her hand

Australian swimming superstar Ariarne Titmus has detailed the reason why her hand was forced in sharing her shock health battle.

If Ariarne Titmus had it her way, the world wouldn’t have heard a word about her terrifying health ordeal.

In September the Australian swimming superstar revealed she had gone under the knife after two benign tumours were found on her right ovary.

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Titmus took to Instagram as she uploaded a picture from her hospital bed, explaining how an MRI detected the growths.

The four-time world champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist spoke about the scary ordeal as she competed at the Queensland State Championships on Sunday.

“I personally on the inside was freaking out,” she said.

“I was having my reproductive organ worked on to remove something that could have potentially put me at risk of not being able to have children.”

But the 23-year-old revealed how she had originally wanted to keep the news under wraps, before her hand was forced by the actions of well-meaning hospital staff.

Titmus said she feared her condition would be leaked at the hands of starstruck hospital staff who had asked for signatures and autographs.

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“I was told there was a risk, and that because the growth was so large that they could actually take the ovary as well,” she said.

“It was hard to put on that brave face, and I was going into something that was quite scary for me and I hadn’t verbalised how scary it was.

“It wasn’t until I was in hospital when nurses were asking me for photos and asking me to sign things pre-op which, actually, I think is quite uncalled for.

“I was there with my mum, and I was like, ‘it’s going to get out that I was in hospital’.

“I had never had surgery before and this wasn’t something to do with my sport, this was unrelated and could affect my life down the track.”

Upon deciding to publicise her own health battle, Titmus came to the understanding that it could also provide a a benefit for greater society.

“I just wanted to normalise the conversation and women’s health, and I think that people forget that as an athlete you’re so worried about your body and how it trains and fuelling to train, and you forget about the other purpose,” she said.

Titmus is back in the pool as attention turns to Paris.

Titmus has since returned to the pool ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and showed she’s on the right path in her first competition since surgery.

Titmus finished second in the women’s open 200m freestyle final at the Queensland State Championships, behind teen Mollie O’Callaghan.

“I’m really playing catch up at the moment, trying to get as much work in as I can,” she said.

“I’m pretty buggered racing here but it’s more about getting back in the pool.”

She revealed in October how “frustrated” she was in the early stages of getting back in the water post-surgery.

“The recovery from a surgery like this is not simple,” Titmus told the Keegan and Company podcast.

“But I had no choice for me and where I want to go in my life, I just had to get it out.

“I wasn’t doing anything for two weeks and then slowly got back in (the pool). I wore a floaty around my waist … doing dog paddles for 200 metres and slowly building up.”

Originally published as Ariarne Titmus reveals how hospital staff’s ‘uncalled for’ acts forced her hand