Gogglebox star airlifted off tropical island after serious horse riding accident
Gogglebox favourite Isabelle Silbery was airlifted off remote Turtle Island after suffering a fracture to her spine during a horse riding accident while on a romantic tropical escape with her husband.
Fiona Byrne
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Former Gogglebox star Isabelle Silbery has had to be air lifted off remote Turtle Island after suffering a fracture to her spine following a horse riding accident while on a tropical holiday.
The reality TV favourite shared her holiday disaster on Instagram on Saturday, saying an inch either side and the fracture could have substantially changed her life.
“Turns out being on a remote island is bloody scary when you have a horse riding accident, are in immense pain and don’t know how serious things are,” Silbery posted.
“A medical evacuation helicopter (was) only available during daylight hours so I was carried by local Fijians on a stretcher 2km up a hill in the dark, onto a boat and to my hut. They were all bare foot in the scorching heat, holding my hand and reassuring me I would be okay.
“They had a doctor on call and loaded me up with pain relief to get me through the night, even sitting on the beachfront outside the hut to make sure I didn’t need anything.
“These people were absolute angels. Not to mention my husband who helped me wee into a glass …the kind of commitment that we’re not in our vows.
“I was choppered to the mainland for scans confirming I’d fractured my spine.
“One inch in either direction and my life could’ve looked very different today,” Silbery said by way of acknowledging how lucky she had been that the fracture was not worse.
The accident occurred last week.
Now back in Melbourne Silbery, who was travelling with her husband Alex Richards, warned fellow travellers to check the fine detail in their travel insurance.
“I’m home safely with a very large bill so a PSA to check your travel insurance as ours conveniently didn’t cover most activities you would do on a holiday, including kayaking, snorkelling, bike riding and of course… horse riding,” she wrote.
Turtle Island is a 30 minute plane flight from the Fiji mainland.
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