Richard Bacon 'getting better' after spending week in coma, say family

'It was such a relief when he opened his eyes'

Richard Bacon pictured in hospital on 5 July 2018 (@Richardpbacon)

TV and radio presenter Richard Bacon is "getting better" after coming round from his medically-induced coma, according to his mother.

The 42-year-old opened his eyes on Friday but remains distressed and confused as he battles double pneumonia.

He was taken ill last week on a flight to the UK from America but was initially well enough to tweet a picture of himself in A&E in Lewisham, south London, on the 70th anniversary of the NHS.

It later emerged he had been placed in a coma by doctors after his condition deteriorated.

Mother Christine Bacon told a local newspaper, the Mansfield Chad, that he was brought off sedation as his temperature started to come down on Wednesday.

"It was such a relief when he opened his eyes, although his not responding to us very well yet we can see that he is getting better," she said.

“The doctors have said that he is very distressed and confused after being in a coma for a week, which you can understand, and that we need to keep talking to him and reminding him of where he is.

“There’s a long way to go yet, but this is a very positive step and it has eased by mind.”

She said that the family at one point feared they "might lose him" while they kept vigil by his bedside for a week.

Christine Bacon also thanked the public for their messages of support on Twitter, adding: "He's young, he's fit and the NHS have been brilliant, and I'm sure he will come through this."

Mr Bacon had said after his admission to hospital that doctors believed he was suffering from double pneumonia.

He wrote: "Thank God I got ill in Britain (actually on the way to Britain, was taken off the plane in a wheelchair). F*** all the dieology driven politicians who've messed up America's healthcare system. Viva the NHS."

Mr Bacon began his career at BBC Radio Nottingham, before rising to national prominence in 1997 as a presenter on long-running children’s television show Blue Peter.

He went on to present various TV shows, including the Big Breakfast and Top of the Pops, and broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live.

In recent years he and his family had relocated to Los Angeles, where he was presenting his own current affairs show on Fox TV.