Bake off Star Prue Leith Rushed to Hospital After Speech Turned Into a Jumble as Husband Feared the Worst

Prue Leith, 86, was rushed to hospital after her speech suddenly became 'an incomprehensible jumble of disconnected words', leaving her husband fearing she might be having a stroke while they were staying in Yorkshire.

Writing in her Prue's News column for the September issue of The Oldie, the former Great British Bake Off judge said the episode began with a migraine attack that left her unable to see properly and struggling to communicate.

Leith said she lost half her sight before a bright, flickering coloured circle appeared in the upper-right part of her vision. She told her husband, John Playfair, that she recognised the symptoms as a migraine but said she 'couldn't string two words together'.

Why Prue Leith Was Taken to Hospital

Playfair contacted their doctor after Leith's speech became difficult to understand. The doctor asked whether she could raise her arms, make a fist, whether one side of her face was drooping and whether she was in pain.

Leith said she could answer the questions, but the doctor still arranged for an ambulance to take her to Harrogate Hospital. She said the decision was made because of the sudden change in her speech and sight.

The television chef wrote that she knew she was having a migraine, having experienced attacks since childhood. However, she said the symptoms were serious enough for her husband and medical staff to consider the possibility of a stroke.

How Migraine Symptoms Escalated

Leith said her migraines typically begin with visual disturbances before a headache develops. She wrote that she usually takes paracetamol, ibuprofen and sumatriptan at the first sign of an attack.

The three medicines are intended to stop the migraine from progressing, she said. On this occasion, however, the speech symptoms prompted a more urgent response.

Leith recalled that the words she tried to say became disconnected and impossible to follow. She said this left Playfair unable to rely on her reassurance that she was experiencing a migraine.

Harrogate Hospital Stroke Checks

At Harrogate Hospital's A&E department, Leith said a paramedic and nurse repeated the stroke-related questions. She then waited six hours to see a doctor, by which point her speech had returned to normal.

Leith said the doctor ordered a CT scan because of the earlier loss of vision and disruption to her speech. The scan took place two hours later, followed by a further wait for the result.

She said she was discharged at 2am after the assessment. Leith wrote that the episode was confirmed as a severe migraine rather than a stroke.

The hospital visit lasted about 10 hours, according to Leith's account. She said the experience reinforced why medical staff had treated the sudden symptoms cautiously.

Prue Leith Praises 'Cheerful' NHS Team

Leith praised the NHS staff who cared for her, describing them as 'cheerful, sympathetic, polite, helpful and professional'. She said the nurse who took her blood had already worked 10 hours after another member of staff called in sick.

She also said the doctor checked her NHS records, explained why a scan was needed and ensured the assessment was completed before she was discharged. Leith said a nursing assistant later found food for her and Playfair after they had spent hours in the department.

Leith described the snack as white bread with a thin slice of processed ham. She said they ate it quickly after the long wait.

A Lifetime of Migraine Attacks

Leith said she has had migraines since childhood and recalled her first attack at the age of nine. She wrote that she tried to tell her mother she wanted to be sick but instead said: 'I want fish.'

Her account explains the concern behind the hospital visit. Although Leith recognised the early signs of a migraine, her partial loss of vision and sudden inability to speak clearly led her husband and clinicians to rule out a stroke before she was sent home.