A holiday cut short by croup

Ellie Taylor, the comedian and actress recently announced as the new host of Strictly Come Dancing spin-off It Takes Two, has described a chaotic family getaway on the Sussex coast that ended with a trip to A&E. According to reports from The Sun and the Daily Mirror, Taylor's young son began struggling to breathe during the break and was rushed to Chichester A&E.

Taylor, 42, who is married to CNN host Phil Black and has an eight-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son, shared the details on Instagram. She explained that the boy had a mild cough before the family arrived at their Airbnb, but that it quickly escalated. As quoted by the Daily Mirror and The Sun, she wrote that the toddler "decided to upgrade his mild cough to full blown struggling-to-breathe-croup."

At the hospital, staff gave the boy steroids. Taylor joked about the experience, saying she had been to A&E five times with her son and adding, "It's always when I'm serving make-up-free & knackered hag." She also praised the hospital, noting that the staff were "brilliant" and that they were home by midnight.

Reports differed on the age of the boy: The Sun described him as three, while the Daily Mirror and the Daily Star said he was two. The reason for the discrepancy was not explained.

A series of mishaps

The family was determined to salvage the rest of the trip. Taylor wrote, as reported by several outlets, that they were "determined to crack on and enjoy a few days on the beach after all the lovely sun we've had." But their luck did not improve.

On the way to dinner one evening, the boy fell on gravel and cut his leg. Taylor shared a picture of a blood-stained pink T-shirt and described herself as a "human plaster" after carrying him the rest of the way. She recounted the meal as lasting roughly 12 minutes, during which her son wailed and she spilled a drink over her phone, swearing louder than she said was appropriate for a family restaurant.

Summing up the holiday, she wrote: "I'd say the hols was 46% endurance, 29% coughing and 13% saying 'we used to have such a nice life.'" She concluded with the line, "Nothing like being on holiday dreaming of being on holiday," and asked whether you are even a mother if you have not said "Everyone's getting on my t*ts" at least once.

The Daily Mirror and The Sun both reported that Taylor had been to A&E with her son five times before. The Sun also noted that she documented the hospital visit on Instagram, including a waiting-room photo in PJs and crocs.

New role on It Takes Two

Taylor's holiday drama came as she was announced as the new host of It Takes Two, the Strictly Come Dancing companion show. She takes over from Fleur East and Janette Manrara. The Daily Star and the Daily Mirror reported her comments to Emma Willis on BBC Radio 2, in which Taylor said she was "absolutely over the moon" and felt "giddy," and spoke about the "camaraderie between celebs."

The Sun, citing an unnamed source, said the spin-off needed a "revamp" after East and Manrara were axed. The Sun also noted that Taylor shot to fame as a stand-up comedian and starred in Ted Lasso as Flo "Sassy" Collins. Taylor competed on Strictly in 2022, finishing seventh with professional dancer Johannes Radebe, as reported by the Daily Star and the Daily Mirror.