TOWIE’s Liam ‘Gatsby’ Blackwell rushed to hospital with hiatus hernia for ‘life changing’ operation

Liam ‘Gatsby’ Blackwell has been rushed to hospital with a hiatus hernia, and forced to undergo ‘life-changing’ surgery.

The TOWIE star, 33, took to his Instagram on Thursday to share a photo of him in his hospital bed, and explained he had jetted back from LA to have treatment at The Holly Private Hospital in Buckhurst Hill, Essex.

The former professional footballer – who joined the reality show in 2015 – revealed he’s now on a liquid diet after surgeons worked to repair his stomach.

Captioning the snap, Gatsby wrote: ‘I would have still been in LA but the reason I came home was to have surgery.

‘I’ve been suffering with a hiatus hernia & acid reflux for a few years now but it got to the point where I couldn’t eat food & drink liquids at the same time without it coming back up. 

‘Imagine eating a meal & being thirsty and not being able to drink a glass of water with it or the food you’ve just eaten will come back up. Also, the burning taste of acid in your mouth most mornings. 

Explanation: The TOWIE star, 33, took to his Instagram on Thursday to share a photo of him laid up in his hospital bed, and explained he had jetted back from LA to have treatment at The Holly Private Hospital in Buckhurst Hill, Essex

‘This surgery repairing my stomach & hiatal hernia will hopefully be life changing for me.

‘Not looking forward to the next 6 weeks on a liquid / soft food diet so any tips from people who have had this surgery it would be much appreciated x’

He then added: ‘Swipe to see who has flown thousands of miles to look after me in my 2 month recovery’ before adding a selfie of him with his devoted mother.

Come to his aid: He then added: ‘Swipe to see who has flown thousands of miles to look after me in my 2 month recovery’ before adding a selfie of him with his devoted mother

A hiatus hernia is when part of your stomach moves up into your chest, and it mostly affects those over 50, pregnant or overweight.

According to the NHS, Gatsby will be in hospital for up to three days before being discharged, and will need between three and six weeks to return to work.

His surgery comes after it was reported last month that Gatsby had split from his TOWIE girlfriend Dani Imbert once again.

The Essex couple have been plagued by split rumours since last year, but seem to have finally gone their separate ways.

Gatsby confirmed the news in an Instagram Q&A where he was asked if he was single.

He replied: ‘We went our separate ways. It was the best decision for the both of us. I wish her all the best.’

Exes: His surgery comes after it was reported last month that Gatsby had split from his TOWIE girlfriend Dani Imbert once again