The Inside the Factory presenter said she regularly contracted urinary tract infections and had been too busy with work and preparing to be maid of honour for her pal’s big day to deal with the issue properly. “I had been feeling rubbish for about four days but I had been really busy at work so just carried on,” she told The Mirror. “I left it far too long. I was mainlining painkillers and in a state, sweating and shaky, but I just carried on and went to the wedding as I didn’t want to let anyone down.”
The TV star explained how she had made it up the aisle but had ended up collapsing in the bridal suite before her then-husband Roly Allen found her and took her home.
Cherry, now 38, said she eventually took herself to A&E when she developed a migraine.
She was instantly admitted and remained in hospital for five days because the UTI had spread to her kidneys.
The BBC presenter recalled being “pumped full of antibiotics” and said doctors had been concerned about her blood tests despite her getting better after a couple of days.
“They did an ultrasound and discovered that because I had left it so long, my kidneys were permanently damaged — they will always be scarred,” she said.
The scarring means Cherry is now more susceptible to UTIs and kidney infections.
The mother-of-two said she was given a “serious talking to” by her medics.
Having suffered with UTIs since the age of 12, she revealed they had become more frequent as she grew older and the situation had worsened since the birth of her second child, Bear, five.
She opened up about having one her “fastest developing” UTIs over Christmas.
“It went from a few twinges in the morning to lying on the floor unable to go anywhere by lunchtime,” she told the publication.
Cherry is best known for fronting a series of self-titled documentaries for the BBC.
The shows have explored the likes of drinking, dating and body issues.
She also hosts The Hotbed podcast, which focuses on sex and relationships.
In 2016, she took part in Celebrity MasterChef.
Cherry and her ex-husband Roly separated and divorced that same year.
She is mother to five-year-old Bear and nine-year-old Coco.