A Place in the Sun star Danni Menzies suffered a medical emergency which left her “looking like Shrek” and requiring 25 stitches in her face – and then she was cruelly dumped in a text exchange she says hurt “as much as the accident”. The former Channel 4 personality, who was famed for helping Brits find their dream properties abroad, experienced her entire life changing right before her eyes.

She opened up on how she was knocked down on the pavement by a speeding moped which had spun out of control back in 2022 – and then broke down in the hospital as her relationship ended. “I could have had brain damage or even died,” she exclaimed on the Sun’s Fabulous podcast. “I was dating someone and he ended it the day after the accident via text, when I looked like Shrek. That was pretty brutal- It hurt as much as the accident.”

As if being abandoned in her time of need wasn’t enough, formerly glamorous Danni also struggled to cope with looking in the mirror and seeing a swollen, bloodied face staring back at her – and the upheaval sparked a “breakdown”.

Danni was afraid to post on her Instagram after the accident, despite having 135,000 avid followers waiting for updates – and when she did start sharing again, she initially used an app which erased the scar around her eyebrow.

However, she’s since had a change of heart and decided to display it openly.

In an emotional caption, she laid bare the silver lining in her suffering, writing: “What hurt you once made you stronger. That’s what scars do. They remind us of where we’ve been but they don’t have to dictate where we’re going.”

For a long time, she had flashbacks and nightmares taking her mind back to the crash, which left her unconscious.

One eye had been so swollen, she feared she’d lost the sight in it altogether.

However, months of intense therapy have helped and she’s taken to keeping a gratitude journal, where she makes a note of everything about her life that she feels appreciative about.

She explained: “I’ve been on a real journey with it all, so I’m very grateful to now be in a place that feels like the whole experience in the end has made me stronger.”

Meanwhile, she’s moved on with a new podcast called Date, Delete, Repeat, co-hosted by influencer Alex Serruys, with new episodes airing every Wednesday.