Carrie Bickmore’s hospitalisation shocked. Now her ‘confronting’ struggle is laid bare

When Australian radio star Carrie Bickmore shared a photo from hospital, tucked up in a white blanket on a gurney, the 45-year-old broadcaster sparked widespread concern.

“Ok voice… time to come back,” she captioned a post on her Instagram account, adding a fingers crossed emoji for good measure.

At the time the star was understood to be hospitalised as she underwent treatment for a critical vocal cord issue – an issue that she broke down in tears discussing on-air in May.

“My voice hasn’t been right for some time,” the star told listeners of the Hit Network show she co-hosts with Tommy Little, Carrie & Tommy.

“Things are not good, so I’m going to have to take some time off work to get it fixed.

“If I don’t get it fixed now, they will be permanently damaged, which will be very unfortunate for my job.”

Now, insiders have revealed the true extent of the struggle Carrie – who is mum to three children, Ollie, 19, Evie, 11, and Adelaide, seven – is facing amid her health woes. 

“She is playing her cards so close to her here because she will be finding this incredibly confronting,” a source tells Woman’s Day, adding that Carrie is putting on a “brave face” in the hope her prognosis is good, but that her hard-working attitude to work may have finally “taken its toll”.

“The worst case, which no one in her inner sanctum are prepared to even consider at this point, is that if it is permanent vocal cord damage that typically means it is irreversible,” the insider adds.

 “She and her support network are naturally being guarded as to exactly what is her condition, but the best case scenario would be that it’s highly treatable.

“She may just need rest and time off air, and it is to be hoped it may only be a temporary strain,” the source adds.

It’s not the only health ordeal Carrie has faced in recent months – as the star revealed in April she had suffered a gruesome injury after walking into “the corner of a wall”, which left blood “spurting” from her head.

That incident left her needing plastic surgery – and now this new challenge is only adding to the strain.

“She’s been through so much over the past and always seems to be able to brush herself off and get back in the saddle, but this time she’s actually given herself a real fright and is not messing around,” the source continues.

“If the specialist tells her to take indefinite leave if she wants a chance to save her voice, then Carrie will toe the line every step of the way – she can’t risk not doing everything the doctors say for fear she may never speak again.”

The insider said despite “having a pretty rough trot” in recent months, Carrie’s courageous attitude to life and positive mindset will see her through.

“Carrie has never been “a poor me” sort of person,” the source explains. “Taking time off from something she loves is going to be the hardest part in all this – if anyone can get through this it’s Carrie because she is a real fighter!

“She’ll throw the kitchen sink at this – if there is one thing we know about Carrie is that she is loved by so many and with an entire nation willing her to get better.”