Love Island’s Jack Fowler has criticized ‘ignorant’ people for ‘not understanding the severity of allergies’ after he ‘could have died’ on a flight to Dubai following a reaction to some cashew nuts.
The reality star and DJ, 28, appeared on Good Morning Britain with Ed Balls and Susanna Reid on Wednesday, where he spoke about the recent incident.
Jack flew Emirates and claimed he told the flight attendant several times that he had a nut allergy.
However, despite his warnings, he was served a chicken and cashew nut curry and within seconds his throat closed and he had difficulty breathing.
Jack was given five tanks of oxygen and administered his Adrenaline Pen (Epi Pen), but admitted he had a ‘real possibility of dying on the plane’.
Love Island’s Jack Fowler has criticized ‘ignorant’ people for ‘not understanding the severity of allergies’ after he ‘could have died’ on a flight to Dubai following a reaction to some cashew nuts
The reality star and DJ, 28, appeared on Good Morning Britain with Ed Balls and Susanna Reid on Wednesday, where he spoke about the recent incident
He has now said of GMB: ‘The number of allergies in young people is increasing. I just feel like this is a sign of the times when people on these flights need to be taken care of.
‘Now things are changing and what is needed? “I think people really need to understand the seriousness of allergies, and I think there’s a lot of ignorance among some people.”
Susanna then added: ‘The bad thing is that if you got a packet of cashews you could have said, ‘No, I don’t want them.’ Thank you very much.’
‘You couldn’t tell what was in this meal. I believe that all passengers – just as we can in shops and supermarkets – should be able to look at the ingredients.
“And then you would be reassured about what was actually in the food.”
Jack also offered a solution that he believes can prevent the same thing from happening again.
He said: ‘I also think about airlines – and it’s so simple. I said, why don’t we have a red cover that goes over your chair?
“So even if the flight attendant doesn’t know it, they may be able to visually see firsthand that that person has something on the back of the seat.”
Jack shared the incident on Instagram on Sunday, sharing numerous photos of himself being treated on board, writing: ‘I can’t believe I have to post this. And I’m posting this because people need to be aware of the severity of how bad food allergies can be and the complete negligence of the airline @Emirates.
Jack flew Emirates and claimed he told the flight attendant several times that he had a nut allergy. However, despite his warnings, he was served a chicken cashew nut curry
He has now said of GMB: ‘The number of allergies in young people is increasing. I just feel like this is a sign of the times when people on these flights need to be taken care of.”
He added: “Now things are changing and what is needed? “I think people really need to understand the seriousness of allergies, and I think there’s a lot of ignorance among some people.”
Jack was given five tanks of oxygen and administered his Adrenaline Pen (Epi Pen), but admitted he had a ‘real possibility of dying on the plane’.
Jack asked, “What needs to happen before airlines take food allergies seriously?” while criticizing Emirates for their negligence’
‘I recently flew with Emirates Airline and got a Cashew nut. I informed my flight attendant about my nut allergy twice before I got a chicken curry.
‘I was not given a menu to choose from, but was immediately asked whether I wanted chicken or fish. I chose the chicken.
‘When I asked for the chicken, I told the air host that I am severely allergic to all nuts. Then I was told there were no nuts in the chicken curry.
‘When I got the meal, I asked the same flight attendant again to make sure, and again I was told there were no nuts in it.
‘Trusting my flight attendant, I started eating the chicken curry. Immediately my throat closed and breathing became extremely difficult.”
The situation immediately escalated, as Jack continued, “I told a flight attendant that I couldn’t breathe and that there were nuts in the food.
‘I was told that AGAIN there were no nuts in the chicken curry. It wasn’t until my friend demanded to see the food menu for the first time that I realized it was a ‘Creamy Cashew Nut Chicken Curry’.
‘This meant there was a real possibility that I would die on the plane as I knew I needed immediate emergency treatment. I was given five tanks of oxygen and administered my Adrenaline Pen (Epi Pen).
“I told the flight attendant, ‘If you don’t land this plane quickly, I’m going to die on this plane.’ This then led to the pilot speeding up the journey.
‘Once we landed, I was rushed to Dubai Airport Hospital where I continued treatment.’
Jack then asked, “What needs to happen before airlines take food allergies seriously?” while accusing Emirates of their negligence.
‘@Emirates, it’s not good enough. I am fortunate to have a platform to make as many people as possible aware of your complete negligence.
‘You are responsible for your passengers and their safety. Giving a passenger food that they have stated TWICE will cause extreme harm is unacceptable.
‘I hope all airlines and cabin crew who come across this message take note of it. We board your flight and trust the cabin crew to help us have a safe flight. Be careful.’
MailOnline has contacted Emirates for comment.
Jack’s ex-girlfriend and former flight attendant Laura Anderson shared their support in the comments, writing, “She will be fired.”
He wrote: ‘I told the flight supervisor, ‘If you don’t land this plane quickly, I will die on this plane.’ This then led to the pilot speeding up the journey’
He added: “@Emirates it’s not good enough. I am fortunate to have a platform to make as many people as possible aware of your complete negligence.”
Jack also offered a solution that he believes could prevent the same thing from happening again when he appeared on GMB
Jack rose to fame after taking part in Love Island in 2018 (pictured). Last year he returned for Love Island Games, which he won with his then girlfriend Justine Joy
Meanwhile, Wayne Lineker wrote: ‘That’s crazy, mate. I love you and hope you are doing well.”
Fellow Love Islander Georgia Steel wrote: ‘I hope you’re doing well, Jack!!! Good to use your platform to spread this kind of awareness!’
His ex Justine Joy, with whom he won Love Island Games last year, shared: ‘Shocking that this still happens knowing how you always make sure everyone is aware of the severity of your allergy before consuming anything! Irritating! I’m really glad you’re doing well!!’
Montana Brown added, “I hope you’re doing well, this is SO bad.” and Hannah Elizabeth noted, “I also have a very severe allergy to cashews and pistachios. This happened to me on a plane too, so I hope you’re doing well.”