Donna Air says she is ‘very lucky’ to have made a full recovery after fracturing her spine

Donna Air was counting her blessings at the premiere of Never Forget Tibet: The Dalai Lama’s Untold Story, after she fractured her spine in two places just before Christmas, leaving her bed-bound and in a neck brace.

‘I feel very blessed and very lucky to have made a full recovery,’ the actress, 43, tells me at the event at Everyman Borough Yards in London.

‘It was very debilitating, but I did a lot of reading and a lot of walking.

‘It was quite a different pace of life for me. It was a reminder to myself to cling to the things that really matter.’

A former girlfriend of the Princess of Wales’s brother, James Middleton, Donna has a daughter with casino and wildlife park owner Damian Aspinall.

Lucky: Donna Air was counting her blessings at the premiere of Never Forget Tibet: The Dalai Lama’s Untold Story, after she fractured her spine in two places just before Christmas, leaving her bed-bound and in a neck brace

Ordeal: 'I feel very blessed and very lucky to have made a full recovery,' the actress, 43, tells me at the event at Everyman Borough Yards in London

Ordeal: ‘I feel very blessed and very lucky to have made a full recovery,’ the actress, 43, tells me at the event at Everyman Borough Yards in London

Donna revealed she has fractured her spine in two places just before Christmas on December 23.

The actress took to Instagram as she shared snaps in a neck brace from hospital as she told her followers her year had ‘ended with a bang’.

Donna added that she had been ‘stopped in her tracks’ by the injury but went on to thank her nearest and dearest for supporting her through the tough times.

Sharing her post she penned in the caption: ‘Well the year has ended with a bang. Just when I thought this Christmas would be without restrictions – I have managed to fractured my spine in two places.

‘I guess sometimes we are stopped in our tracks and reminded yet again to keep it simple, looking forward to seeing so many of you when I am back in my dancing shoes. Grateful to my nearest and dearest who have kept me smiling these past two weeks especially @freyaaspinalll AKA ‘The elf who saved Christmas’. 

‘A natural COO and the most expert of shoppers. Sending you all lots of love, Happy Christmas everyone & to those facing their own challenges, remember this too shall pass!’

In her post she was sat in her hospital bed in the brace while in another shot she took a mirror selfie in her gown.

Another image saw her pose with friends during her recovery while another showed her sweet dog by the Christmas tree. 

Life: A former girlfriend of the Princess of Wales's brother, James Middleton, Donna has a daughter with casino and wildlife park owner Damian Aspinall

Life: A former girlfriend of the Princess of Wales’s brother, James Middleton, Donna has a daughter with casino and wildlife park owner Damian Aspinall

Honest: She added: 'It was very debilitating, but I did a lot of reading and a lot of walking. 'It was quite a different pace of life for me. It was a reminder to myself to cling to the things that really matter'

Honest: She added: ‘It was very debilitating, but I did a lot of reading and a lot of walking. ‘It was quite a different pace of life for me. It was a reminder to myself to cling to the things that really matter’

Tough: Donna revealed she has fractured her spine in two places just before Christmas on December 23

Tough: Donna revealed she has fractured her spine in two places just before Christmas on December 23

Difficult: Donna said that she had been 'stopped in her tracks' by the injury but went on to thank her nearest and dearest for supporting her through the tough times

Difficult: Donna said that she had been ‘stopped in her tracks’ by the injury but went on to thank her nearest and dearest for supporting her through the tough times

It came after Donna revealed that the Covid lockdowns caused her to put on weight ‘for the first time’ in her life. 

In 2021 she revealed that she had gone up two jeans sizes since the pandemic began the year before by eating cheese and multiple takeaways a week.

However, the actress insisted she had no plans to lose the extra pounds anytime soon as she said she was ‘quite happy about it’ and loved her new ‘curves’.

Speaking to new! magazine about keeping in shape during lockdown, Donna said: ‘I’ve been quite relaxed about what I eat.

‘For the first time in my life, I’ve finally put on some weight, which is amazing.

‘I’ve gone up two jeans sizes during lockdown and it’s never, ever happened in my life no matter how much I’ve tried, so I’m actually quite happy about it. I kind of like my new curves.’

At the beginning of the pandemic, Donna revealed that she had contracted Covid-19.  

She told her fans on Twitter that she had tested positive for coronavirus at the end of March 2020, writing: ‘I hope everyone is managing to stay strong and in relatively good spirits during the lockdown.

Update: Sharing her post she penned in the caption: 'Well the year has ended with a bang. Just when I thought this Christmas would be without restrictions - I have managed to fractured my spine in two places' (pictured with pals in her head brace)

Update: Sharing her post she penned in the caption: ‘Well the year has ended with a bang. Just when I thought this Christmas would be without restrictions – I have managed to fractured my spine in two places’ (pictured with pals in her head brace) 

Change: It comes after Donna revealed that the Covid lockdowns caused her to put on weight 'for the first time' in her life (pictured in August 2020)

Change: It comes after Donna revealed that the Covid lockdowns caused her to put on weight ‘for the first time’ in her life (pictured in August 2020)

‘I just wanted to let you know developed mild flu like symptoms and started self isolating 18 days ago, I took a test for some clarity & the results tested positive for Covid19.

‘Thankfully symptoms improved shortly after and my loved ones are not displaying any signs of the virus. 

‘I will continue to follow government guidelines & in the meantime I am sending masses of love to you all, especially those on the front line.’

Later that year in October, Donna said that she believed contracting the virus left her with memory loss and ‘brain fog’. 

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