Countryfile star Charlotte Smith previously recalled her shock after being misdiagnosed with a potentially fatal condition.
The presenter has been a regular on TV screens for years, first appearing on Countryfile – which returns today for its Christmas special (December 21) – in 1998.
In 2010 though, Charlotte – born in 1964 – was dealt some devastating news when she was told she had just 10 years to live. However, it turned out she was misdiagnosed.
Countryfile Charlotte Smith ‘went into shock’ after diagnosis
In 2010, Charlotte started to suspect something was wrong after suffering from severe shortness. That, combined with her feeling unwell and tired, led to Charlotte visiting her GP, where they told her she could have a collapsed lung. This was confirmed by a hospital X-ray and Charlotte was rushed for emergency care.
She then had to have her lung reinflated. However, after the surgery, Charlotte still struggled with her breathing and sought advice in London at University College Hospital.
At the hospital, specialists diagnosed Charlotte with Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM): a cystic lung disease that generally affects women. Talking to The Sun in 2022, Charlotte revealed she “went into shock” after experts told her she had the “very rare, potentially serious disease with an unpronounceable name”.
Charlotte felt ‘like my world was collapsing’
She added: “The doctor was honest and told me all the stats, including it being 10 years, on average, between diagnosis and needing a lung transplant or even death.
“I left the consultation feeling like my world was collapsing. My kids were just five and three then and I was worried that I wouldn’t be around to see them grow up. When I told [my husband] Mike about LAM, he was so calm and reassuring.”
For eight years, Charlotte was worried about the diagnosis, fearing she only had years left. However, things took a shocking turn when she had surgery for a collapsed lung. After she was told she had been misdiagnosed and didn’t have LAM.
Charlotte on being misdiagnosed
She explained: “They had to do an operation this time and they discovered that I am very lucky. I do not have that disease. I was misdiagnosed. Which actually I’m very relaxed about because to be told you don’t have something is much better than being told you do.”
She continued: “They don’t really know what’s wrong with my lungs, they have holes in them and they don’t really know why. So I have about 80% lung capacity a fit person would.”
Countryfile: A Cornish Christmas airs on Sunday (December 21) at 5:05pm on BBC One.
Read more: Complaints pour in as BBC series Countryfile airs ‘downright abusive’ scenes
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