Paul O'Grady survives horror snake attack:
Relieved Paul O’Grady last night bravely laughed off his horror attack by a 2ft venomous snake.
The comic was left bleeding profusely from an arm yet still joked: “I’ve come up against few snakes in my time but normally of the two-legged variety.”
Chatshow host Paul, 53, also revealed he had no idea what had hurt his arm as he put wood in a fireplace – until he saw blood streaming out.
He said: “I didn’t realise I was bitten at first but I looked at my right arm and there was blood gushing down from it.
“I saw two puncture marks and I realised I had been bitten – and it must have been a snake.
“It really started to hurt and then I saw the snake on top of the logs. I think it had crawled from inside the hollow of the log.” The cool-headed TV favourite, host of Channel 4’s The Paul O’Grady Show, ushered the 2ft reptile out with a broom.
He then anxiously phoned a hospital near his home in Aldington, Kent, but was assured the bite was not fatal.
Medics told him he merely needed to keep an eye on the swelling and come in only if he got worse.
The adder, Britain’s only venomous snake, has a bite that can cause vomiting, dizziness and painful swelling.
Some victims need antibiotics and a 24-hour stay in hospital while doctors monitor their blood pressure and other vital signs.
But the snake’s poison is only rarely deadly, and although there are around 100 adder bites in Britain each year the last known fatality was more than two decades ago.
Paul, who did not need medical attention, added: “There was no bad reaction, thank goodness, although it did hurt.”
And his spokeswoman said after Sunday’s drama: “He was a bit shaken as anyone would be.
“But he’s fine now and can see the funny side to all this.
“Apparently this sort of thing is rather commonplace where Paul lives because he is right out in the middle of the countryside.”
Last night snake expert Denise Frain said: “It was probably starting to hibernate among the logs when Paul woke it up and startled it.
“They’re not an aggressive snake and keep themselves to themselves. Their numbers are in decline.”
Most adder attacks occur between February and October, with the number peaking in summer.
Source:http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/lates...5875-20941640/
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