bathtime horror
Gladiators star rushes son to hospital after he suffers terrifying seizure in the bath
The BBC star's child had a frightening complication from an everyday childhood illness
GLADIATORS star Legend has rushed his son Mauro to hospital after he suffered a terrifying seizure in the bath.
Legend, real name Matt Morsia, and his wife Sarah got a scare when their little boy started fitting and went under the water, almost drowning.
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Sarah shared a snap of her brave son in hospital tucking into some crisps after recovering from the frightening incident.
She explained that he has suffered a complication from a fever induced by chickenpox.
Sarah wrote on instagram: "Last week Mauro suffered from something called febrile convulsions.
"He was coming down with chicken pox and the fever caused seizures/ fitting (it is quite common in children around the age of 2 during the onset of an illness)
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"We called an ambulance which came quickly and got us to hospital and he is fine now (just waiting for the last of the spots to go).
Anyway the first seizure happened when he was in the bath and within moments he was face down under the water and jerking uncontrollably."
Fortunately they avoided things getting a lot worse as Sarah was close by and pulled him out within seconds.
She continued: "Luckily I was sitting next to the bath and was able to pick him straight up and call Matt to help but it makes me feel sick to think of what might’ve happened."
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What are febrile seizures?
Follow these steps to keep your child safe
Febrile seizures may be something that new parents have never heard of or experienced but, while it may look frightening, simple actions can help keep your child safe.
They’re caused by a child’s developing brain being unable to deal with a fever or high temperature.
A baby or child who is having a febrile seizure may be less responsive or unresponsive, arch their back, clench their fists, stiffen their body and shake vigorously.
They may look red-faced, be hot to the touch and sweating.
You may also notice their eyes roll upwards and they may hold their breath.
Stay calm. You can help by protecting them from injury, but do not restrain them.
Move things that could injure them while are having a seizure and use pillows or soft padding to protect their head.
As febrile seizures are caused by a raised temperature, take off their outer clothing to help cool them and open windows and doors.
When the seizure is over, help them to rest on their side in the recovery position with their head tilted back – this will help keep their airway open.
Call 999 or 112 for emergency help.
Monitor and reassure them while you wait.
Sarah added a word of caution for her followers, advising: "I wouldn’t usually share stuff like this but it’s easy to quickly put the socks in the wash or grab some pyjamas while the kids are in the bath but basically don’t… defo not worth the risk!"
Since the scary incident, the family have enjoyed some well-earned relaxation on holiday in Nerja, Spain.
They have shared a series of happy snaps from their break.
And Sarah confirmed Mauro is now fit and well.
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She wrote: "P.s. As you can see, he’s much better and enjoying his holiday."
Matt filmed Gladiators last summer in Sheffield, but the show only started airing on BBC One in January.
It has proved a huge ratings hit for the broadcaster.
More than six million viewers tuned into the opening episode.
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