Ski Sunday presenter Chemmy Alcott has revealed she suffered a collapsed lung following a painful accident while vacationing in the French Alps. The 44-year-old former GB Olympic skier shared the news on Instagram, posting footage of herself jumping from a five-metre platform into Lake Annecy.
The video shows Alcott attempting a front flip, which resulted in a heavy, poorly timed landing. Reflecting on the incident, she noted, “Most people badly time a front flip off a five-metre platform and get winded. I apparently don’t do things by halves. Collapsed lung, chest drain and a very expensive lesson in rotation.”
Alcott admitted that her initial reaction to the impact was to attempt the jump again. She explained that she returned to the platform out of “embarrassment” and “just so I wasn’t making a big deal out of it.” However, the physical reality of the injury soon set in, and she realized she “couldn’t breathe properly and should probably go and get it checked out.”
In the caption to the main clip, titled “this didn’t end well,” she wrote: “Well… that escalated quickly. Turns out five metres is quite a long way to discover you’ve got the rotation wrong.” She described the ordeal as involving one badly timed flip, a hard landing, and several unexpected nights in the hospital.
A collapsed lung, or pneumothorax, occurs when air becomes trapped between the lung and the chest wall. While many lake-related injuries involve cold water shock, the water in Lake Annecy was a warm 25C to 27C. Instead, Alcott suffered blunt trauma, likely caused by her chest slamming into the water at approximately 20mph.
The Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) advises swimmers to assess areas for hazards such as depth or underwater objects. Their guidance is clear: “Enter slowly and carefully, and never jump from heights.”
Alcott, a former British champion, competed in all five alpine skiing disciplines during her career. She participated in her fourth and final Winter Olympics in 2014 in Sochi before retiring on medical advice following multiple leg fractures.
Following her competitive career, she transitioned into broadcasting. She joined the long-running show Ski Sunday as a regular contributor, eventually becoming a lead co-presenter alongside Ed Leigh in 2021. Most recently, she provided coverage for the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina for One.
This incident draws parallels to other high-profile sporting accidents, such as the 2022 case of a diver who was described as “lucky to be alive” after a similar accident. Alcott remains in hospital, noting that while she loved the location, she is not entirely sure the lake felt the same way about her.
Simpson ‘lucky to be alive’ after diving accident Published 5 January 2022
And a few more hospital overnights than were on the holiday itinerary…
In the UK, one of the main dangers of swimming in lakes is the threat of what is known as “cold water shock”.
That’s when cold water can cause a sudden heart attack by increasing your heart rate, or making you gasp for breath and inhaling water directly into the lungs, leading to drowning.
This is where the skin isn’t broken or pierced, but there can still be severe damage to bones, muscles, and internal organs â in her case a lung.
Consider potential hazards – too deep or too shallow, currents, tides, underwater objects,” it says on its website.
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