I’m grateful to medics who saved me after I collapsed at Brits, so vote for your Who Cares Wins heroes, says Roxy Horner
WHEN she collapsed back-stage at the 2021 Brits, Roxy Horner had to be resuscitated and rushed to hospital.
The 32-year-old model, who was supporting boyfriend and awards host Jack Whitehall, had only just been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
She later discovered she had suffered a diabetic “hypo”, also called hypoglycaemia, where blood glucose level drops too low.
Roxy, who is backing The Sun’s Who Cares Wins awards and urging others to nominate their own 999 hero, says of the ambulance crew who rushed to her aid: “I am just forever grateful to them.”
Now we need you to nominate your own health heroes for this year’s awards.
Do you know a doctor or nurse who went to incredible lengths with your care? There are ten different catagories.
Just go to thesun.co.uk/whocareswins and fill out the simple form for the category you are nominating in by no later than July 31.
Recalling her awards crisis, Roxy explained: “I had been in hospital for a few days before the Brits but I decided to discharge myself on the day of the awards because I didn’t want to let anyone down.
“My hospital team were advising me not to leave but I didn’t take into consideration how much I had to learn before I should be going to events on my own.”
She adds that she “didn’t have a clue” how to manage her condition and accidentally injected too much insulin.
Roxy explains: “When I got to the Brits I injected four units of insulin for a salad, which is a lot of insulin, and I sent myself into a hypo.
‘Love and support’
“If it hadn’t been for my good friend Ethan, who knew about diabetes, I don’t know what would have happened.
“I was on the floor and then he fed me anything sugary he could find until I came back around.”
Essex-born Roxy, who made her modelling debut in British Vogue aged 17, met comedian Jack, 34, in 2020 while he was on a work trip to Australia.
They ended up isolating together in London during lockdown and are now expecting their first child in September, after Roxy suffered a miscarriage last year.
The pair announced their happy news on Instagram last month, sharing a black and white snap of them holding up their scan picture.
Roxy says: “We both wanted to start a family and I was managing my health really well, so we just went for it.
“We have a healthy, growing bub and bump.”
Having diabetes means that women and their babies are more at risk of serious health complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
But Roxy says: “I really want people to know that you can have a healthy pregnancy with diabetes.”
Pregnancy has, however, seen her body become more resistant to insulin.
She explains: “There are many factors that I’ve become aware of. For instance, I do need a lot more insulin now and my insulin-to-carb ratio changes weekly.
“But I’m pretty on it and low-risk in terms of having any complications because I’m managing my health well, which is great news. All that matters is that our baby is healthy.”
Roxy, who previously admitted she had been worried to announce this pregnancy, says her doctors have confirmed there is no link between her diabetes and the miscarriage.
She says: “It was just one of those things that sadly is a part of life and can happen to anyone.
“My doctors have assured me it wasn’t my fault or anything to do with diabetes, and I’ve learned now that it is so common.”
Roxy is being closely monitored by medics during her pregnancy and is full of praise for the care she has received since her diagnosis.
She says: “I can’t speak highly enough about my hospital team — they’ve been truly incredible throughout my whole journey and continue to be so.”
Speaking about our Who Cares Wins awards, she adds: “I think it’s a great event and a wonderful opportunity to give back our love and support to those who care for us.”
Roxy had been feeling unwell for months — and was drinking up to eight litres of water a day — before her diabetes diagnosis.
But she was not initially tested for the condition because she did not fit the criteria for Type 2 diabetes, and the majority of people with Type 1 are diagnosed in childhood.
Afterwards, it took her time to get to grips with her condition.
She says: “When I came home from hospital the second time, that’s when I realised this isn’t going to be as easy as I thought and I really took the time to rest up for months while I did my research.
“I didn’t go back to work or out again on my own until I knew exactly what I was doing.”
Roxy manages her diabetes by injecting insulin several times a day and wearing a Dexcom G7 sensor, which sends real-time glucose readings to a smartphone or watch.
It is a device also worn by Happy Valley actor James Norton, who suffers from Type 1 diabetes, too.
On Saturday, the pair attended a Dexcom event in London to raise awareness of the mental burden of living with diabetes.
James, 37, who has to inject insulin “up to 15 times a day”, is currently starring in West End play A Little Life.
He recently said: “I don’t leave the stage for a couple of hours and I am a Type 1 diabetic, so I have juice, and I can’t bring it up because it’s got branding on it!
“But I have sweet things which I have scattered around the stage just in case I go hypoglycaemic.”
Roxy’s boyfriend Jack helps keep a close eye on her and her diabetes.
She says: “He knows almost as much as I do about my condition. He also has the Dexcom Follow app on his phone, so he is alerted whenever my glucose levels are going too high or low.”
Roxy’s diagnosis has taken a toll on her mental health.
She says: “It has made me quite down at times. There are days where I can’t get out of bed because I feel too rough. Diabetes can give me brain fog and I lose focus.
“I also get this thing I like to call a ‘diabetic hangover’. It happens when my glucose fluctuates too much and you’re left with this feeling of a headache and sickness.
“Diabetes can be a struggle but it makes us resilient and it’s important to talk about these things so people don’t feel alone.”
Roxy is an ambassador for Diabetes UK and often shares with her 224,000 Instagram fans pictures of herself injecting insulin.
She says: “I get messages daily from other people with Type 1 diabetes or parents with children living with Type 1.
“A lot of them thank me for speaking out and wearing my Dexcom G7 proudly.
“And a lot of them say it’s helped them wear their medical devices more openly, which makes me happy.”