Sky Sports presenter Emma Saunders was placed in a coma after being diagnosed with a brain infection.
The presenter and matchday reporter was treated for thyroid cancer at the beginning of the season but has now been dealt a new health setback as she recovers from encephalitis - an infection that causes inflammation of the brain.
Saunders' boyfriend, football manager Will Still, also revealed that the infection meant she was placed into a coma but she was now "stable" and "fine".
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Revealing the shock news on her Instagram page, the presenter shared a photo from her hospital bed and wrote: "Hi folks. Unfortunately life took a bit of an unexpected turn a couple of weeks ago and I'm now off work while I recover from Encephalitis - an infection of the brain.
"I hope it wont be long until I'm back to see out the end of 2024/25 – especially after missing part of the start of the season before this when I was treated for Thyroid cancer"
Saunders added: 'So, as I spend time now recovering and rebuilding again - I just wanted to thank my family & friends for their rock solid support, my colleagues at Sky for their patience allowing me the time to heal, and our wonderful NHS for their extraordinary kindness and care. And of course you [Will Still] just for being you & being there for me."
With his partner recovering in hospital, Lens manager Still watched his side seal a dramatic late win over Marseille in Ligue 1 over the weekend, but he admitted after the match that his mind had understandably been elsewhere.
"It's tough,' he told L'Equipe. 'We realise that there are more important things in life than a football match or a shot that goes into the top corner. I was honest with the guys. My girlfriend was in a coma. We had to be with her, we had to take care of her. The group reacted admirably well.
"My girlfriend is stable, she's fine," he added. "That's the most important thing. When I came back last Saturday, I knew she was in the best possible place to get treatment. I asked her the question openly: 'Do I go, do I not go?' She said to me: 'You have to go.'
"I thank the staff and my brothers who were there to do the work when I wasn't there. I felt like I had to give something back, hence the frustration and disappointment last week."
As well as Sky Sports, Saunders has also worked for BBC Sport and as a stadium presenter for major sporting events including the FIFA World Cup and the Six Nations. A lifelong Watford fan, she also became the first-ever female stadium announcer at a Premier League club when she worked at Vicarage Road after leaving university.
She went public with her relationship with Still during Euro 2024 as photos of them in the stands at Wembley emerged on social media. The Belgian-born boss went viral two years ago as he became the youngest manager in Europe's top five leagues by taking charge of French side Reims at the age of 30.
