Loose Women’s Sophie Morgan reveals she’s in hospital

Sophie Morgan has revealed that she’s in hospital with complications due to a minor operation which she had on Wednesday.

The Loose Women star shared a snap in her bed on Instagram as she also gave an update on proceedings after claiming British Airways broke her £8,000 wheelchair in transit last month. 

Sophie, 37, suffered a T6 spinal cord injury in 2003 when she was involved in a car accident which left her paralysed aged 18.

In her latest post she revealed her health problems three weeks on from the incident with British Airways and said it was hard to ‘find the energy to fight when her body is a battleground’.

She penned as she told how things were going after the alleged flight incident: ‘Progress Update: Letter to PM from MP about to be circulated for signatures.

‘Aviation experts consulting. Campaign launching next week. Global partnerships being established.’

She then went on to say she was in hospital, writing: ‘In the hospital atm. Complications post minor op.

‘Sharing this to highlight that it takes a LOT for disabled ppl to find the energy to fight when their bodies are a battleground as is.’

At the end of January Sophie claimed British Airways damaged her £8,000 wheelchair while in transit and told her to ‘send an email’ when she complained.

She requires a wheelchair at all times but said she didn’t get the support she needed when British Airways damaged her chair after ‘wedging it in the hold’ from a flight from Los Angeles to London Heathrow.

They had attached the chair to the battery powered attachment without permission and untrained staff were unable to separate them, leaving her terrified she might be stuck without it.

When they did detach the chair from the battery, it had to be pieced back together, leaving it damaged and as she later discovered, the light was also broken.

Taking to Instagram, TV star Sophie said: ‘Landed at Heathrow with a bang.

‘Someone – no one took responsibility – decided to attach my wheelchair and my batec (battery-powered attachment) whilst in transit (they were checked in separately, in two parts, unattached) and they have done so a) without permission and b) COMPLETELY WRONG!!!

‘It took over half an hour to “break” them apart, all that time I had to sit on an aisle chair that was NOT safe and I didn’t know if I would be able to get back into my chair.

‘Eventually, they broke them apart and I got back into my chair and reattached the batec but it’s not safe to use. I then discovered more damage.’

She said the customer service she experienced after this was completely unacceptable.

‘And what was I told to do by BRITISH AIRWAYS!? Send an email via the website.

‘This has GOT TO STOP. Thousands of chairs are damaged by airlines every year. It’s #JustPlaneWrong.’

Sophie filmed a video which showed she was literally shaking because she was worried that she might not be able to get back into her chair which she relies on.

A spokesperson for British Airways told MailOnline: ‘We’re extremely sorry for Sophie’s experience and we’re investigating what happened as a matter of urgency.

‘We’ve been in contact with Sophie to sincerely apologise and to resolve the matter with her directly.

‘We carry hundreds of thousands of customers who require additional assistance each year and we work hard to provide help and support them throughout the whole journey.

‘It’s extremely disheartening when things go wrong, and we don’t underestimate the impact this has. We’re committed to ensuring we deliver a consistently good service, and we’ll be working closely with Sophie and our dedicated accessibility teams to discuss how we can continue to make improvements to ensure a great flying experience for everyone.’

London-based campaigner Sophie has undergone a host of impressive projects including presenting Channel 4’s TV coverage of the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Appearing on Lorraine in 2021, Sophie said that while many people are ‘frightened of change’, she believes that her disability ‘made her life’ and has encouraged her to ‘live properly’.

She said: ‘I think people are frightened of change, they don’t want it, there’s a fear around it, said Sophie. ‘But for me, because my change ended up giving so many positives, I sort of lean into it, I seek it out.

‘I want life to be different and to be full of variety and excitement.

‘I suppose I learned the hard way that the worst things that happen to you can lead to the best of life.

‘It’s hard for people to relate, they see my disability and think it ruins a life – but I found it to be the opposite, I think it made my life.

Sophie, whose successful television career began in 2009, says that while it was difficult adapting to her injury, it has become ‘part of who she is’.

‘When I had my injury there was obviously the initial adapting to it and becoming paralysed and wheelchair user at such a young age.

‘There was so much to work out and figure out about my identity, who I was going to be and how I was going to make it happen’, she said.

‘I really didn’t have much experience with disability, I was the first disabled person I had ever met, I had so much to learn and unlearn.

‘But over the years it’s become part of who I am and that drives me to think about how to live life properly, because I nearly lost my life, so it matters so much to me.’