He’s been in his fair share of dodgy back yards after years of presenting Homes Under The Hammer, but it was Martin Roberts’ own garden that left him needing hospital treatment on Wednesday.
Martin, who has presented the daytime
BBC property show since 2003, was rushed to A&E after he came into contact with a poisonous plant whilst gardening at his home in Bath.
The 56-year-old revealed his swollen and streaming eyes as he waited for medical attention in an
Instagram post.The TV presenter touched an evergreen plant named Euphorbia - a flowering plant in the spurge family - and got sap on his hands before rubbing his eyes.
The milky sap is highly toxic and can cause permanent blindness if left untreated.
The sap irritates the skin and eyes causing a severe burning sensation and blurring of vision. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Martin Roberts (@martinrobertstv) on Aug 21, 2019 at 12:22am PDT“This is a really important warning, it’s 3.30am in the morning and I’m in A&E,” he said in a video shared with fans.
“After doing some gardening earlier on and there’s a plant called Euphorbia, you need to look it up on the internet because it’s in lots of people’s gardens.”
“If you cut it as I did, it produces a sap, a white sap, and if you get that on your hands, and worse, if you get it on your eyes then it causes some serious issues and that’s exactly what I am like now.
“So it’s got worse and worse and worse this evening and I couldn’t sleep so now I’m just waiting to see a doctor.
“So listen, look out for this plant Euphorbia it’s green and has yellowy, green leaves.”
The Royal Horticultural Society recommends that gardeners avoid contamination by wearing gloves and covering their skin.
The TV star has since shared an update with fans, revealing he is on “lots of drugs” and using eye drops to treat his swollen eyes, but admitted he still felt “lousy”.
He also thanked fans for “all of your kind words and get well wishes” and again warned fans about the dangers of the plant, before showing it in his own garden.READ MORE: YouTubers Are Coming To The BBC As Part Of Their Bid To 'Modernise' Daytime TV Here's What Martin Roberts Thinks Of The Incredibly Literal 'Homes Under The Hammer' Music Martin Roberts: 'Playing Piano Silences The Thoughts Raging On In My Head'