Lily Allen battles septicaemia in hospital days after losing baby - Daily Mail

By Sara Nathan
Last updated at 5:03 PM on 6th November 2010

Lily Allen was in hospital last night with the potentially lethal blood-poisoning condition septicaemia - just days after losing her baby.

The chart-topping singer was six months pregnant when she miscarried the baby she had been expecting with boyfriend Sam Cooper.

She had been recovering at home in Gloucestershire but was yesterday taken to hospital by ambulance.

Tragic loss: Lily Allen has been admitted to hospital with septicaemia after losing her baby

Her spokesperson confirmed today: 'Lily Allen is back in hospital, where she is being treated for septicaemia.

'She is responding well to treatment and her condition continues to improve.

'Lily thanks everyone for their messages of support and again asks that she and partner Sam Cooper be left alone whilst she recovers.'

Last night a friend told the Daily Mail: ‘Lily had been recuperating at home with Sam and her family, but she has been taken back to hospital and is getting the best care possible at the moment.

‘Everyone is extremely concerned, but she is in the best place and luckily she was admitted quickly.’

Hours earlier Miss Allen thanked fans for their support following the miscarriage. 

Writing on her Twitter page yesterday, the 25-year-old said: ‘I’m still very sick but the messages are helping me to be stronger. Thank you x x.’

She added: ‘Thank you for all your kind messages.’

Giving her thanks: Lily took to Twitter to thank her followers for their kind messages

Miss Allen has been a prolific user of the social networking website and last weekend she posted a poignant message saying simply ‘say a little prayer x’, before the problems with her pregnancy became public knowledge.

Septicaemia is a bacterial infection of the blood.

Septicaemia is a life-threatening condition where bacteria invade the bloodstream.

It is usually triggered by an infection in another part of the body, such as pneumonia, meningitis, bladder infections or even a tooth abscess.

The bacteria escape from this initial infection and enter the blood, causing a series of reactions that can lead to swelling of the blood vessels and blood clots.

The condition can occur after a miscarriage if any foetal tissue left inside the body becomes infected.

There are about 300,000 cases a year and up to 15,000 deaths.

If untreated, it develops into septic shock, where blood pressure drops and organs fail.

The symptoms develop rapidly and may include a high fever, violent shivering, faintness, delirium and loss of consciousness, as well as cold and pale hands and feet and rapid and shallow breathing.

Sufferers are normally given antibiotics to stave off the infection.

Miss Allen previously suffered a miscarriage in 2008 when she was dating Ed Simons, a pop star and DJ from the Chemical Brothers.

Following her second miscarriage, many celebrity friends sent messages of support, including Myleene Klass, Emma Bunton and Denise Van Outen.

Miss Allen, daughter of comedian and actor Keith Allen, started dating 32-year-old Mr Cooper, a builder, last year and has referred to him as ‘the love of my life’.

She had begun to effectively wind up her music career to prepare for motherhood and had bought a ?3million mansion in the Cotswolds in readiness for family life.

But she did perform at the Wireless festival in London during the summer.

She also recently set up a vintage clothing business, Lucy In Disguise, with her elder sister, Sarah Owen.

Miss Allen has released two best-selling albums - Alright, Still and It’s Not Me, It’s You - as well as a number of hit singles including The Fear and Smile.

‘Lily needs time to recover in privacy,’ the friend added.

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Box office preview: ‘Life as We Know It’ battles ‘Social Network’ for top spot; ‘Secretariat’ likely in third

Image Credit: Peter IovinoThe romantic comedy genre needs some intensive care after a bleak summer where the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Drew Barrymore could do little to attract audiences. Is Katherine Heigl the answer? The former Grey’s Anatomy star didn’t score opposite Ashton Kutcher in Killers this past July, but perhaps Josh Duhamel is a more appealing co-star. We’ll find out this weekend when the duo’s film, Life as We Know It, opens wide, opposite Disney’s Triple-Crown horserace flick, Secretariat, which is battling its own issues.

Disney’s feel-good horse flick is an important movie for the studio. They consider the Diane Lane-starrer a role model for the type of movies the studio wants to make. They might want to ease up on that strategy — while the marketers are trying to reach family audiences, especially the church-going crowd, it’s still unclear if either will show up.

The two newcomers are also competing against the defending champ, The Social Network. The David Fincher-directed drama opened to $22.4 million, and this weekend will be crucial in determining the film’s long-term health. Critics and audiences both seem to love it, and the buzz should lure those who couldn’t make it to the theater last week.

My Soul to Take, Universal’s latest from director Wes Craven, is also steeling itself for an uphill battle. The director’s first 3-D film bows one week after two other horror films were practically D.O.A. Neither Let Me In nor Case 39 grossed more than $5 million in their opening frames. It will be a surprise if this genre film, with little marketing might behind it, will do much either. Read on for my predictions.

1. Life as We Know It: $16 million

I’m not sure why the ad campaign for this romantic-comedy is built around an action shot of the stars chasing the baby, but maybe it will work. Tracking suggests it will have trouble surpassing $20 million. With Heigl’s lackluster track record at the box-office, it will be interesting to see if this high-concept idea brings in the moviegoers.

2. The Social Network: $15 million

This movie was crowned a media darling, but now the haters are out, denouncing the film’s opening weekend draw and already discounting its awards potential. One thing is clear: This weekend is crucial. The film needs to hold well for it to maintain the buzz required to make it all the way to the Oscars. Watch closely. A 50 percent drop would be considered a failure.

3. Secretariat: $10 million

Disney desperately wants Diane Lane’s horse movie to be the next Blind Side, but general tracking suggests a weak opening. The big question is: Are families coming out for this film? If they do, the numbers could surprise, but the film will more likely earn a fraction of Sandra Bullock’s surprise hit last fall.

4. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole: $6 million

Now that Zack Snyder has signed on to direct the Superman reboot, perhaps there will be renewed interest in his owl movie. The animated flick held up well in its second weekend in theaters, losing only 32 percent of its gross, but I would expect at least a 40 percent fall this time.

5. My Soul to Take: $5 million

It’s been five years since Wes Craven has directed a full-length feature. (Red Eye was the last one.) Unfortunately, I don’t think the horror veteran will draw much of an audience to his flick, starring Max Thieriot and John Magaro. If it earns beyond $5 million, it will be a feat, considering how poorly horror flicks have fared lately.

In limited release, Focus Features will open It’s Kind of a Funny Story while Weinstein Co. will bow the young John Lennon tale, Nowhere Boy. Come back this weekend for a full report.

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