Jamie Dornan, the star of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” faced a health scare after an encounter with toxic caterpillars during his vacation in Portugal.
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Jamie Dornan, famous for his role in “Fifty Shades of Grey,” was recently hospitalized after experiencing symptoms mimicking a heart attack, caused by poisonous caterpillars during a trip to Portugal. The surprising incident was shared by the actor’s friend and fellow victim, Gordon Smart, on an episode of the BBC podcast “The Good, the Bad and the Unexpected.”
Smart recalled that initially, they thought the health issues were due to a night of drinking. However, the reality was much more alarming. They were diagnosed with processionary caterpillar poisoning, small but dangerous insects known for their irritating hairs that can cause severe reactions.
These caterpillars, belonging to the pine processionary moth species, are notorious for their thousands of tiny hairs. These hairs contain a protein that can cause painful skin, eye, and throat irritations, according to information from Forest Research.
One day after the incident, Smart described feeling “tingling in the left hand and itching in the left arm,” typical symptoms of a heart attack. “Being a usually healthy person, the sensation made me believe I was having a heart attack,” he explained.
After receiving medical care and being discharged from the hospital, Smart discovered that Dornan had experienced similar symptoms and was also hospitalized. The Irish actor described numbness in his limbs, followed by a rapid hospitalization.
In the following week, doctors confirmed that the symptoms could have been caused by the caterpillar toxin. Smart highlighted the danger of these insects, mentioning cases of heart attacks in men and dog deaths on golf courses in southern Portugal, where the caterpillars are common.
Jamie Dornan. Instagram @jamiedornan
