Sophie suffered from IBS during filming, but had yet to get a diagnosis (Picture: BBC)
Sophie Taylor became the first axed candidate from Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars, but a health condition that was undiagnosed at the time meant she would have been unable to go on any further in the competition.
The 24-year-old hopeful was amongst 12 food and drink entrepreneurs put to the test by Chef Gordon, in a bid to win his £150,000 investment.
The first season of the BBC One competition saw Victoria Omobuwajo take home the win, after weeks of brutal tasks from diving down into the depths of caves to delivering food on a high-wire suspended 1,000ft above the ground.
Kicking off the second series, Thursday’s episode started off with the contestants tasked with creating Scottish banquets and using the beautiful natural surroundings around them to impress their guests, but Sophie was ultimately sent home after a grilling.
During filming, she had been forced to see medics and seek help after suffering from intense pain, which she later realised was irritable bowel syndrome, a condition that can cause stomach cramps, bloating and nausea amongst its symptoms.
Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, Sophie revealed that the anxiety of not knowing what she was going through at the time, and the pain that halted her filming some scenes, meant she would have been unable to go on any further.
Gordon is on the hunt for his next food and drink entrepreneur to invest in (Picture: BBC/Studio Ramsay)
12 contestants are hoping for his £150,000 (Picture: BBC/Studio Ramsay)
The businesswoman and founder of Sophie’s Iced Coffee Blend, said: ‘At the time, I didn’t know I was suffering from symptoms which are now diagnosed as severe IBS. I was really unwell at the time.’
Sophie went on to highlight that those symptoms affected her performance on the show, and feeling so unwell made her feel even more ‘overwhelmed and nervous’ during filming.
‘I had to miss filming to go and see a medic, I wasn’t well and it was quite painful to watch that back,’ she said.
She continued: ‘Physically with my IBS and how I felt at the time, there was no way I could have continued, so I’m grateful for the experience.’
At times, during filming for the first episode, Sophie thought she would have to quit the competition, despite having applied for both the pilot and the first season.
Sophie was the first contestant fired from the competition (Picture: BBC)
She said: ‘It was just painful to watch back just because I could see obviously, the times that I was ill like in my face and see that I wasn’t well, I was just overwhelmed because at the time I didn’t know I had IBS.
‘I was suffering from the symptoms but I didn’t know what they were so I was feeling really unwell. And in my head I was thinking like, “Do I quit?” but then I knew that I wouldn’t because I’ve worked so hard for that opportunity and I was scared because I didn’t know what was going on in my body.
‘I was scared and I could see that in my face. And it was horrible to obviously watch yourself back in yourself in pain. So that’s why it was horrible for me to watch it back.’
Sophie found out about her diagnosis after filming, and is now working to raise awareness about the condition.
‘I feel good now, knowing that I’ve now got my diagnosis I feel a lot better about the situation,’ she added, saying she was ‘grateful’ to have gone through the experience which eventually lead to her diagnosis.
She was forced to miss parts of filming and see a medic due to her painful symptoms (Picture: BBC)
In one part of the task, Sophie’s team were considering whisky flavours to include as part of their cocktail selection, but she had to step away after suffering from the then-unknown symptoms.
‘I was bent over slightly because I was in a lot of pain with the cramps, and I was really nauseous and shaking, and it got to a point where I went to see welfare and I was literally having a panic attack, and they took me off to see a medic, who was great and treated me then.
‘I had to return to filming but obviously I missed bits and I wasn’t there fully, and there were times when I didn’t know what was going on, because I hadn’t missed parts of filming,’ she said.
Contemplating quitting during the show, she recalled feeling ‘really scared and anxious’, adding: ‘I didn’t know what was happening with my body at the time.’
More: Trending
Sophie, who started her business aged 17, is now working to raise awareness about IBS, which affects one in five people in the UK, two thirds of whom are women.
As well as her vegan nut milk iced coffee range, she’s developing a gut friendly drink focusing on IBS sufferers, that she’s hoping to link to an IBS charity and raise further awareness.
Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars continues on Thursday at 9pm on BBC One.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : Future Food Stars: Meet the 12 entrepreneurs battling for Gordon Ramsay’s investment
MORE : Gordon Ramsay ‘gutted’ after cooking show Next Level Chef is ‘axed’ after one series
‘I didn’t know what was happening with my body at the time.’