Laura Harman
Published December 18, 2025 7:56pm
Updated December 18, 2025 7:56pm
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Charlotte Chilton has shared an update on her health (Picture: Instagram/Charlotte Chilton)
The Traitors’ Charlotte Chilton has shared her gut-wrenching fear that her baby daughter, Penelope, would forget who she was after the reality TV star was rushed to the hospital.
Charlotte announced on social media that she had a ‘huge’ trigeminal neuralgia attack.
Trigeminal neuralgia is sudden, severe facial pain that is often described as a sharp, shooting pain.
She has since been told that she faces undergoing an MVD craniotomy, a major neurosurgery which aims to reduce pressure for a long-term solution to the condition.
Ahead of the procedure, the star has shared her fears surrounding her daughter in what she describes as ‘the hardest year in her life.’
‘The thought of going under the knife is terrifying. It’s a lot to deal with,’ she told The Sun.
Charlotte shared a snap in a hospital gown on her Instagram before explaining the condition (Picture: Instagram)
The Traitors star has shared her fears that her daughter will forget who she is while she is in the hospital (Picture: Instagram/Charlotte Chilton)
‘Honestly, I feel broken. I’m in a lot of pain, and with all that’s happened recently, it can all get a bit much.
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‘Mentally preparing for brain surgery is hard, and this week has been nothing short of torture, especially being separated from Penny. I’m terrified she’ll forget me.’
She explained that the pain from the condition caused her to pass out and sustain a head injury, leading to a concussion.
The publication reports that she will not be able to leave the hospital until the procedure is carried out, meaning she might miss Penny’s second Christmas.
‘I feel like I’ve been continuously battered this year, and it’s tough staying strong, but I’m doing it for my daughter,’ she continued.
‘I want to show her I’m brave and can get through anything. If I can survive the last few months, then I know I can survive anything.’
Charlotte described 2025 as the ‘hardest year of her life’ (Picture: Instagram/Charlotte Chilton)
What is trigeminal neuralgia?
The NHS describes trigeminal neuralgia as a sudden, severe facial pain, often described as a sharp, shooting pain or like having an electric shock in the jaw, teeth, or gums.
The website explains: ‘It usually happens in short, unpredictable attacks that can last from a few seconds to about 2 minutes. The attacks stop as suddenly as they start.
‘In most cases, trigeminal neuralgia affects just one side of the face, with the pain usually felt in the lower part of the face. Very occasionally, the pain can affect both sides of the face, although not usually at the same time.’
The charity Trigeminal Neuralgia UK outlines that the condition is ‘sudden, severe, brief, stabbing pain occurring in attacks lasting at the most a few seconds, usually only on one side of the face, and provoked by light touch’, adding that it’s described as being ‘the worst pain known to man’.
Trigeminal neuralgia is also known as the ‘suicide disease’.
After being rushed to the hospital, she shared an image of herself in a hospital bed, with the caption explaining her medical situation.
‘As many of you know I have tried to raise awareness of the condition trigeminal neuralgia.
‘I have unfortunately found myself back in hospital with a terrible attack and this has resulted in me needing another neurosurgery to control it,’ she shared on Instagram.
‘Having surgery on your brain is always daunting, however this has long term relief and allows me to get on with my life.
‘After being rushed into A and E with a huge attack, I have been taken care of by the amazing Neuro team at QE hospital and today I have an operation to relieve me of my physical torture.
‘For my TN followers keep fighting to find the right team to support you. They call this the suicide disease for a reason. I’m so grateful for my family and friends who have supported me through this hellish week! Wish me luck and see you on the other side!!’
The star has been open about the ailment in the past (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
She took to social media to raise awareness (Picture: Instagram)
Charlotte has previously opened up about this debilitating issue, telling Metro in January 2024 about her struggles with the disease.
‘You don’t know when you’re going to have your next pain, and when you do have your pain, it can be managed sometimes with painkillers, or it can be to a point you’re screaming, you want to stick a knife in your face because it’s unbearable.
‘It’s actually known as the “suicide disease” because it has such a high percentage of people who [die by] suicide because it’s just agony. It’s the worst pain condition you can have,’ she said at the time.
‘This time they shredded the nerve as well as padding it all out in the hope that this would really help, and it did, but the downside is the recovery was a lot worse and short term memory loss.’
Gesturing on the right side of her face, she added: ‘My speech was not very good because I’ve got no feeling from here down to half of my tongue. I can’t feel anything along this side.’
She also vowed that she wouldn’t let it control her life: ‘But what I do know is that I can’t let it rule me. I can’t live in fear. I’ve lived in fear for 10 years. This is my 30s. We got over Covid, I’m gonna seize the day and push myself, and that’s what I’ve done.’
The star gave birth last year (Picture: Jo St Mart)
Charlotte made headlines earlier this year when she claimed influencer and musician Conor Maynard was the father of her baby.
Just before giving birth to her daughter Penelope in October 2024, Charlotte publicly announced Conor as the father, explaining they’d been introduced by her castmate Harry Clark, whose girlfriend is Conor’s younger sister, Anna.
In March, Conor revealed that a paternity test confirmed he was not Penelope’s father, with a second taken in August.
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Charlotte still maintains that Maynard is the father of her daughter.
Last month, Conor alleges he got a message claiming that Charlotte slept with a fellow Traitors contestant, Jonny Holloway, around the same time he slept with her.
Jonny responded to the claim in a video, saying: ‘Oh hello, it’s Jonny Holloway. Imagine waking up when you are in the middle of moving house from a separation that happened before The Traitors started filming that your ex-wife is insinuating you’re cheating on her.’
He went on to claim in an interview with the Daily Mail that he had sex with Charlotte and had requested a DNA test. Charlotte denies sleeping with Jonny.
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