Scarlette Douglas is one of our favourite presenters on A Place in the Sun, where she uses her infectious energy and property expertise to help sun-seeking Brits find their dream holiday homes abroad.
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You'd never know it from her eternally positive attitude, but before she found fame on the Channel 4 show, Scarlette went through hardship in her personal life when her older brother was left in a critical condition after a knife attack. Find out more below...
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Writing about the incident, which took place in 2003 when she was just 14-years-old, Scarlette described it as "more terrifying" than she could ever imagine.
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"My brother, a professional footballer, had disturbed a burglar at a friend's house, who stabbed him," she recounted to The Mirror, revealing that while the friend was only wounded in the leg, her brother Andrew was left with life-threatening chest injuries.
© Photo: InstagramScarlette's family were told Andrew might not survive the knife attack
"The knife had severed his carotid artery, a main vessel carrying blood to the brain, and punctured his lung," the TV star said. In fact, Andrew - who is a former Arsenal youth player - was so badly injured that his heart rate flat-lined nine times and doctors told her family that he had just a two percent chance of survival.
Luckily, he made it through thanks to the tireless doctors who worked through the night to save his life, but it wasn't without complications. Scarlette explained: "He needed 48 pints of blood during six transfusions that lasted six-and-a-half hours - using donations from about 58 people. The hospital was running out of blood and had to get an emergency ambulance helicopter to bring more in.
© Photo: InstagramScarlette has been presenting travel show A Place in the Sun since 2015
"Our Jamaican heritage meant finding matching blood was harder – our blood types are rarer and black people, unfortunately, are less likely to donate. Eventually doctors stemmed the bleeding. I can still see my parents jumping up off the sofa with joy."
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After more than two weeks in intensive care and a month in hospital, Andrew was able to return to the family home in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. Unfortunately, the assailant was never caught, despite BBC's Crimewatch plea for witnesses or informants.
As a result of his injuries, Andrew had to give up his football career but decided to retrain as a football coach, helping others achieve their dreams of reaching the top of their game.
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