UK television presenter Kirstie Allsopp, who broke her leg in a bad fall during a family holiday in north Devon, has been saved by a Coastguard rescue team – one of whom was marking their last day on the job.
The Location Location Location host, 55, was celebrating her birthday with her youngest son Oscar when she slipped on a muddy patch of a steep path on her way back from the beach.
"Almost every year since Oscar was born, we have celebrated my birthday at Meadowgate, one of my favourite places on earth," Allsopp explained in a post on social media yesterday.
"We have a picnic on the beach at Welcombe Mouth, a swim and a walk back to the house for some cake."
The presenter went on to say her son ran to get help from paramedics and first responders, who gave her a "huge amount" of painkillers.
In a post to social media on Tuesday, the Bude Coastguard said rescue officers were notified of a woman who had broken her leg while walking along a path close to Welcome Beach around 6.35pm on August 31.
The crew – providing support for the Hartland Coastguard Rescue Team – arrived at the scene as the Cornwall Air Ambulance landed. She was sedated due to "significant pain", the Bude Coastguard said, before being taken to a waiting ambulance.
"As the Bude team were stood down from the incident, there was just enough time to capture a quick photo of attending Bude team members in front of the sunset, to mark the final 'shout' for Coastguard Rescue Officer Bude 04, Lotte (centre front row), on her last day of service for HM Coastguard," the Bude Coastguard said.
"We thank her for her dedication to the team, and her selfless commitment to saving lives and assisting those in need on our coast. She will be sorely missed."
The Bude Coastguard confirmed the person they had assisted was Allsopp.
A birthday to remember
Despite not being fully alert, Allsopp acknowledged the help she received from medical professionals, saying it took "a whole host of people to get me to hospital".
"God only knows what I was like to deal with high as a kite!" she joked.
"Everyone at Barnstaple hospital has been amazing, kind and caring, so many lovely people doing their absolute best."
Allsopp reassured her followers she was on the mend and that her hospital stay was almost over.
"They have operated on the leg and I’ll be home soon. It’ll be a boot and crutches for a while but I feel very, very lucky that it was possible to reach me and get me to hospital so quickly and I have a job that I can do on crutches."
Typically finding humour in the situation, Allsopp said it was "not a birthday I am going to forget in a hurry".
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