Linda Clark, the 73-year-old mother of television personality Rylan Clark, has been hospitalised after a frightening fall on ice outside her home during the UK's recent cold snap.
A Terrifying Slip on Ice
The Celebrity Gogglebox star mistook a patch of ice for water, causing her to slip and sustain a serious injury. She fractured her shoulder in the fall, which occurred earlier this week amid plummeting temperatures across the country.
Speaking candidly on her son's BBC Radio 2 show on Saturday, Linda described the incident to listeners. 'I just went flying, and I hurt my arm again,' she revealed. The fall has left her body covered in severe bruising, with Linda stating she is 'so sore' and now 'black' from the impact.
Rylan's Worrying Phone Call and Family Health Struggles
Her son, Rylan Clark, recounted receiving the alarming phone call about the accident. 'Well, that was a lovely phone call I got that morning, you on your way to the hospital,' the 37-year-old presenter chimed in during the broadcast. He sought to find a silver lining, reasoning, 'But it could’ve been worse. It could’ve been your arm and your leg, like we’ve had before.'
Rylan later thanked the show's audience for their outpouring of support and well-wishes. Assuring fans his mother is 'alright', he joked about her relentless energy: 'I just can’t help her, you know what she’s like, rushing around doing stuff.' He emphasised, however, that the fall was a pure accident caused by the icy conditions.
This latest health scare is part of a long history of medical challenges for Linda. She lives with Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory condition of the digestive system, which requires her to take several medications daily. The disease has, in Rylan's words, 'totally dictates her life'. She has also undergone three major bowel operations in the past.
In a previous interview, Rylan explained the profound impact of his mother's illness. 'When she was diagnosed, it really hit her hard because it wasn’t picked up early enough,' he said. 'I grew up with the disease as well because she was ill – it is life-threatening. It’s scary.' He recalled the difficulties it posed during his childhood, sometimes preventing Linda from attending school events.
A History of Falls and a Wider Warning
This is not Linda's first serious fall. In 2023, she suffered a nasty tumble while on holiday in Marbella, which required urgent surgery and a private flight back to the UK. Last summer, she was also admitted to Princess Alexandra Hospital with a mystery illness, prompting Rylan to leave his radio show to be at her side.
Perhaps most gravely, in 2018, Linda contracted sepsis, an illness that nearly proved fatal.
Linda's accident coincides tragically with another high-profile icy fall. It was revealed that the father of Scottish broadcaster Lorraine Kelly, 84-year-old John, died after falling on an icy path in East Kilbride on Saturday, 10 January, 2026. Police Scotland confirmed they were called to the scene where the elderly man was pronounced dead, treating the death as unexplained but not suspicious.
These incidents serve as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by icy conditions, particularly for older adults. They highlight the importance of caution during winter weather and the devastating consequences a simple slip can sometimes have.
