Popstars singer Darius Campbell nearly died after showing off a charity’s new water filter by drinking straight from the river Thames.
Campbell found himself at death’s door after promoting the bottle made by not-for-profit body Fresh2o.
It sells the bottles – which remove 99.9 per cent of pathogens, bacteria and viruses – to finance its drive to help people in countries such as Madagascar.
Popstars singer Darius Campbell nearly died after showing off a charity’s new water filter by drinking straight from the river Thames
But a near-fatal blunder saw the singer songwriter using a display bottle whose filter had been removed.
After collapsing with bacterial meningitis and severe brain swelling the 37-year-old Glaswegian was placed in a coma, waking to find his mother Avril Danesh – herself undergoing chemo and radiotherapy for breast cancer – in tears at his bedside.
He told the Sunday Post: ‘As I came out of the coma I remember my mum sitting beside the bed.
‘It felt wrong because mum was going through cancer treatment yet she sat next to me with tears in her eyes telling my brother they almost lost me.’
Doctors soon traced the origins of the illness, which struck the singer in 2015. He recalled: ‘In order to raise funds to get the water filters to Africa, we did a demonstration video down at the Thames next to the sewage outlet.
‘So I drank the water for the video, sent it off and raised the funds, which paid for filters to go to people who needed them.
Darius was promoting water bottle filters made by not-for-profit organisation Fresh2o
The bottles – which remove 99.9 per cent of pathogens, bacteria and viruses – to finance Fresh2o’s drive to help people in countries such as Madagascar
‘But when I went to Glasgow to see my mum for her birthday I collapsed.’
Campbell added: ‘I had a cerebral oedema, where your brain swells bigger than your skull.
‘My dad [renowned gastroenterologist Booth Danesh] saved my life – he got me to hospital and they diagnosed it quickly. I had bacterial meningitis.’
His mother has since been given the all-clear from cancer, while his father battled back from the disease ten years ago.
After collapsing with bacterial meningitis and severe brain swelling the 37-year-old Glaswegian singer was placed in a coma
The singer said: ‘We are lucky to be alive and just glad my family are all going to see Christmas.’
Fresh2o founder Candice Farmer said: ‘You have to be careful – Thames water is notorious. We work in countries where the drinking water contains parasites and can make people very ill. Thanks to the filters, children are able to go to school without being sick and for adults to be in good health too.’
Campbell, who found fame on 2001 reality TV show Popstars, is a founding ambassador of Fresh2o alongside actress Keira Knightley.