Anti-Vaxxer Model With COVID-19 Almost Died Twice; Now Urges People To Get Vaccine

A 43-year-old British glamour model and anti-vaxxer is now urging others to get vaccinated after surviving two near-fatal brushes with COVID-19 and its resulting pneumonia.

Holly McGuire, originally of Essex, England, tested positive for the coronavirus on July 10 and spent the following 10 days isolating herself at her home in Marbella, Spain, Mirror U.K. reported.

The OnlyFans model was then taken to an intensive care unit in a Spanish hospital after her breathing difficulties began. She developed pneumonia and was placed in an induced coma.

McGuire, who also appeared in the British television show "Footballers' Wives" in 2006, was given a 15% chance of surviving. She said her husband, Steve, had called her mother in tears, saying he didn’t think she was going to make it.

"I was in the hospital for six weeks in total, and I am so grateful to still be here," McGuire was quoted as saying by Mirror.

While at the hospital, she had lost more than 15 kilograms (33 pounds) and had to have a tracheotomy. She also missed her daughter's seventh birthday.

Additionally, she needed physiotherapy because she struggled to walk after coming out of her coma.

"I’ve felt shattered ever since. Last weekend was the first time I’ve been out with my family," McGuire told Mirror.

McGuire initially did not trust vaccination and thought her healthy lifestyle would protect her from getting COVID-19, but nearly dying twice changed her mind.

"I was an anti-vaxxer. Now I can honestly tell people COVID is real," McGuire said. "Please, everyone, ignore the nonsense some people are spouting. Get the jab. Luckily for me, I have lived to tell my story. But I nearly died twice."

Prior to contracting the virus, McGuire said she listened to her friends, who were anti-vaccination campaigners.

"People were saying we won’t know for years if the jab is reliable, and seeing news reports from back home, I didn’t feel reassured by the U.K. government. I thought there were so many reasons not to have it," she explained.

Now, McGuire said she regrets not getting the jab.

"I made so many excuses not to have it, but when I caught COVID, it was dreadful, it hit me like a truck," she said, adding, "Just get vaccinated as soon as possible."

The U.K. has reported around 7.7 million COVID-19 infections and more than 158,000 deaths as of Monday, according to government data. Around 44.8 million British people have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, while more than 48 million have received at least one dose.