I'm A Celebrity star reveals horror surgery as major artery cut in two amid 'really tough year'

Union J singer and former I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! star George Shelley has revealed he had botched surgery leaving an artery cut in two as he opened up on devastating year

I'm A Celebrity and X Factor star George Shelley has revealed his routine surgery turned into a nightmare when a major artery was severed.

The former Union J singer had his tonsils removed over the summer but ended up in hospital for a week after the horror operation. George has admitted it has been a "really tough year" as during the surgery, his artery was "cut in two". The singer was also grieving after the death of bandmate Jaymi Hensley's fiance Olly Marmon.

Olly tragically died after falling from a hotel window in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire in August aged 33. Reflecting on the devastating time, George said: “I lost a lot of blood and during that I was bereaved, my bandmate’s fiance Olly, and dealing with grief again.”

Speaking of bandmate Jaymi, he added to the Sun: “I’m so proud of him. He’s kept working. He’s creating happiness for himself by performing and that’s what Olly loved with Jaymi. He was a really great rock for me during my grief and I want to be that for him.” Geroge's sister Harriet died in 2017 when she was hit by a car.

The singer has candidly shared he is now "the best he's ever felt" and that it has taken a long time to heal from the trauma of the past six to ten years. George is now an ambassador for Grief Encounter, which helps young people who have lost loved ones, and recently did a fundraising trek for them.

Following the tragic death of his sister, George decided to step away from social media for 18 months. Trainee midwife Harriet - who was 21 - and her friends had been partying at the O2 venue in Bristol when she left and tried to cross the street. Harriet was struck by a car and died a week later.

George returned to social media in 2021 and uploaded a selfie to his Instagram page. He told followers he had been focusing on healing himself and that he is now focused on creating happiness. George said: "18 months ago when I chose to step offline, consumed in control, I had to detoxify and get back to the happiness of being.

"The road I took this last decade was far from home and I got lost in escapism, judgement, social pressures & approval seeking; anything that gave me some sort of comfort after a very confusing and unpredictable journey. I let dominating fear hold me back. Sometimes you gotta do what’s right by yourself to heal, realign and do yourself justice. Self care is fundamentally important and not selfish at all. Especially when you’re caught up in the past, so used to criticism & shame and see no light in your future.

"So after years of searching for belonging in the wrong places, sitting in silence when all I’ve wanted to do is roar, and living in a cage being taunted by the keys of freedom - the now comfortable silence comes to a close. I’m happy to say, amongst all this disarrangement, our future is as bright we wish to make it. We can create happiness. So to answer questions like 'Are you ok? Where have you been? What’s next? What have you been doing?' I’d say, on this ever changing, unsettling & overwhelming planet over the last year, I’m good. I have enjoyed doing things I love the most; designing, writing, learning, exploring & expanding."

He ended his heartfelt post by thanking his followers for waiting for his return, as he typed: "Thank you for sticking here." In 2018 George released a BBC documentary named Learning to Grieve.

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