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MKR star quits due to fear of 'losing both eyes' from serious infection

One of the <em>My Kitchen Rules’ </em>favourite couples, Stacey Allen and Ash Keillah, were forced to leave the competition tonight due to a serious health condition. Photo: Channel Seven
One of the My Kitchen Rules’ favourite couples, Stacey Allen and Ash Keillah, were forced to leave the competition tonight due to a serious health condition. Photo: Channel Seven

One of My Kitchen Rules’ favourite couples, Stacey Allen and Ash Keillah, were forced to leave the competition tonight due to a serious health condition.

Ash, who lost his left eye after a glassing incident 10 years ago, was struck by a severe and contagious eye infection that left him unable to work with food, meaning he and fiancee Stacey had to end their MKR journey prematurely.

“That was a really tough decision,” 34-year-old Ash tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

“We really didn’t want to do it but in the end it was probably a smart decision. I was with an eye infection and so run down, if I’d stayed I could have got a lot worse.”

The other teams were sad to say goodbye. Photo: Channel Seven
The other teams were sad to say goodbye. Photo: Channel Seven

For the reality star, an initial feeling of being unwell turned to serious pain, and that’s when he knew something was really wrong.

“After the Bondi challenge when we got home, I was feeling wrecked,” explains Ash.

“Suddenly there was throbbing in my eye socket. I just thought I’d sleep it off. Then the next morning I woke up and my eye was puffy, gross and closed over and really, really painful, so I went straight to the doctor and he said I had an eye infection in my eye socket from being run down.

“I had to go straight on antibiotics and have antibiotic drops as well.”

Ash’s biggest fear was driven by the fact he only has one eye, and ultimately, it wasn’t worth taking the risk and continuing in the competition.

“Having one eye, those sorts of things can go to your good eye or to your other eye,” he says.

“That’s a risk, when you have one eye… the risk of actually when you get infections, losing your eyes it’s a real thing.

“The doctor was a little bit freaked out. I even thought he might want me to go to hospital but he ended up just giving me the antibiotic drops and antibiotics.”

It took just over a week of rest for Ash to fully recover, after what he describes as a health scare he’s not experienced before.

“I’ve never had an eye infection in my eye socket like that,” he explains.

“Ash is a trooper, he still wanted to push on but I had to put my foot down and say no,” says fiancee Stacey.

“At the end of the day no one wants to leave the competition like this, but your health comes first.”

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