“My small intestine nearly exploded”: Tracey Emin on recent health scare
British artist Tracey Emin, famous for her In My Bed artwork, is recovering after falling ill in Thailand following complications from a surgery.
Emin took to social media to share that she had “used another one of [her] nine lives” after becoming “very unwell”.
The artist has previously opened up about beating cancer but reassured fans: “Not cancer, but horrible complications with my intestines brought on by an infection, scar tissue and made a million times worse by flying.”
She continued: “My small intestine nearly exploded. Luckily for me, I was in Thailand on my way back from Australia, so I spent a few days in a very good hospital and now recovering in luxury.”
Her trip to Australia saw the artist speak at the Live and in Conversation After-Hours: Tracey Emin event at the National Gallery of Victoria’s Triennial, and was on her way back to the UK when she fell ill.
She thanked the hospital and Phuket hotel she stayed in and told fans she was on a “special diet” and would fly when well enough. “Meanwhile,” she added: “It’s absolutely fantastic to be in love, not to be in pain and know how lucky I am.”
Fans and cancer charities alike have praised her unflinching honesty surrounding her health battles. Similarly, she shot to fame in 1998 for the brutally honest My Bed piece, which was an intimate and brutal look at Emin’s private life.
