During a holiday in the Dominican Republic in 2022, Freddie Bentley suffered liver failure – his health scare led to him being diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC)
Freddie Bentley was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) at the age of 22(Image: ITV)
TOWIE star Freddie Bentley has opened up on a horrifying health ordeal that left him fearing for his life.
The TV personality, who left the ITV reality show in February, was hospitalised after suffering liver failure during a boozy holiday in the Dominican Republic in 2022. Freddie, who was 24 at the time, experienced critical symptoms, including severe vomiting and his skin and eyes turning yellow from jaundice.
The health ordeal left him in hospital for six weeks. Sharing details of the incident on the official TOWIE podcast, You Alright, Hun?, Freddie said: “When I was 24, my liver failed. My bile ducts and my liver stopped working properly.
“I got jaundice, so I was in hospital for six weeks. A normal liver function level is meant to be, like, 125. Mine was 980. So, wow, I was critical, I was in a really, really bad… wow.”
Freddie’s condition meant he was “so poorly” and “couldn’t hold anything down, both ways” during the holiday. He explained: “The doctors were worried. They were like, ‘You’re 24 years of age, your liver shouldn’t be failing.'”
The reality sar, who has also appeared on The Circle, said the ordeal led to the discovery that he suffers from a rare liver disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), a condition causing chronic inflammation and scarring of the bile ducts.
Although his medical team clarified that PSC is a genetic condition completely unrelated to alcohol abuse, Freddie acknowledged that heavy drinking aggravated his symptoms.
As explained by the Mayo Clinic, PSC, which affects up to one in 10,000 people, is a rare, long-term disease of the liver caused by inflammation of tubes in the liver called bile ducts. “Scarring and narrowing of bile ducts leads to liver damage,” the website explains. “Over time, the liver loses its ability to filter blood and support digestion.”
Freddie decided to completely change his lifestyle after his health scare – and he decided to quit drinking completely. “So I have to look after my liver now obviously,” he said. “So I don’t drink.” He added: “I’m actually a nicer person without a drink. I don’t need to have a drink to have a good time.”
Last year, the TV star celebrated three years of sobriety on TOWIE, which he said made him feel “honoured”. Speaking to OK!, he said: “It was amazing to be able to speak my truth about my sobriety journey on TOWIE. I think a lot of people don’t know about me being sober.
“It’s something I’ve really worked on and had my own personal journey with. It was a surreal moment to watch myself back, talking about it on the show. I feel honoured that they dedicated that segment to it.”
Opening up on the process of giving up alcohol, he explained: “The first year was the hardest. You grieve your old life – the nights out, the social side, especially in this industry where you’re handed a glass of prosecco the minute you arrive at an event. I barely went out at first, I didn’t feel ready. But over time, I became comfortable in my own skin and now I enjoy everything even more.”
He added: “Also, in hospital, I felt judged for being a gay man. The doctors immediately jumped to assumptions about unprotected sex and it was the first time I felt truly belittled for my sexuality. That was difficult, but it also pushed me to become stronger.”
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