Irish folk singer Mary Coughlan has been left fighting for her life after being bitten by a spider during her sellout Australian tour.
The 62-year-old said she noticed a bite on the end of her finger when she woke up in Alice Springs.
The Tired and Emotional vocalist pushed on to finish the rest of her tour but fell seriously ill when she returned home to Ireland, where she was hospitalised for five days.
Irish folk singer Mary Coughlan (pictured) has been left fighting for her life after being bitten by a spider during her sellout Australian tour
‘Over the next few days it turned into a rash all over my body,’ Ms Coughlan told the Irish Sun.
The vocalist said she went to a medical centre where they told her it was most likely caused by a bite from a non-poisonous spider.
‘I thought I was dying. I was in hospital for five days with what the doctors said was blood poisoning,’ she said.
The singer’s eight-legged friend seemingly didn’t want to leave, instead settling into her luggage and hitching a ride to Ireland.
‘What freaked me out was finding a spider had followed me all the way back from Australia,’ she said.
The spider was spotted crawling on to the floor when the singer unpacked her luggage following her return home from hospital.
The Tired and Emotional vocalist pushed on to finish the rest of her tour in Alice Springs (pictured) but fell seriously ill when she returned home to Ireland
‘We had no idea what sort of spider it was but my son-in-law killed it. It freaked me out that the spider that bit me could have followed me home from Australia.
Ms Coughlan’s daughter said she was sure it was the same spider.
Prior to her trip, the singer had described her anticipation to arrive in Australia, the Irish Echo reported.
‘I Iove love love Australia. I honestly think about it most days! I’m so looking forward to being back down under and this whole tour. It’ll be great to be back and these shows are very special to me,’ she said.
(Photo: Spider similar to one that bit Ms Coughlan)