‘I couldn’t breathe’: Love Island star reveals he ‘nearly died’ after suffering allergic reaction during flight to Dubai

18 June 2024, 08:44 | Updated: 19 June 2024, 09:17

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

Love Island star Jack Fowler has revealed he 'nearly died' after suffering an allergic reaction while on a flight to Dubai.

Fowler said he was flying with Emirates Airlines when he let staff members know about his 'severe nut allergy'.

He claims he told the onboard flight attendant "twice" before he was given a chicken curry, which he says contained cashew nuts.

"I wasn't given a menu to choose from, instead I was asked directly if I wanted chicken or fish. I opted for the chicken," Fowler wrote on social media.

He claims he had already told flight attendant about his severe nut allergy at this point and was "told there were no nuts in the chicken curry."

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A post shared by JACK FOWLER (@_jackfowler_)

"When I received the meal I asked the same flight attendant again to make sure, and again was told that it does not have nuts included," he continued. "Trusting my flight attendant I began to eat the chicken curry."

It turns out the meal was a cashew nut chicken curry, Fowler claimed.

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It was at this point that Fowler's throat "immediately closed up" and his breathing became "extremely difficult".

Flight attendants rushed to his aid, giving him five tanks worth of oxygen and helping him to administer his adrenaline pen.

He reportedly told crew members: "If you don't land this plane soon, I will die."

Fowler was then rushed to Dubai Airport for further treatment.

He wrote on Instagram: "What needs to happen for Airlines to take food allergies seriously?"

"It is not good enough....You are responsible for your passengers and their safety."

Passengers with nut allergies are regularly told to tell the airline about their allergy so that nuts are not sold on the flight.

Airlines still tend to sell products which contain traces of nuts, though avoid selling full packets of peanuts.

Some airlines, such as EasyJet, do not sell nuts at all.

A spokesperson for Emirates said: "We are sorry to hear of Mr Fowler's experience and our teams on ground are providing him with all possible assistance.

"The safety and health of our customers is taken very seriously.

"While Emirates aims to cater to customers with specific needs by offering a variety of special meals that cover medical, dietary, and religious requirements, we cannot guarantee a nut-free inflight environment.

"We urge travellers with dietary or other medical requirements to check our website and consult their doctor before travel."