The wife of a former EastEnders star has issued a stark warning after their youngest son had to be rushed to A&E after eating a ‘dangerous’ plant in their garden
Former EastEnders actor James Bye had a scare when his young son was taken to hospital “screaming” after mistakenly eating a toxic plant from their garden.
James, 41 and known for his role as Martin Fowler in the BBC One drama, along with his wife Victoria, faced a terrifying ordeal when their two year old Rufus ended up in A&E after consuming an “innocent looking” yet “seriously toxic if ingested” Italian Arum plant.
Victoria, who shares snippets of her family life with her 130K Instagram followers, took to the platform to raise awareness about the hazardous plant, which she admitted she “didn’t even know was dangerous”, and highlighted other potentially harmful garden plants.
The worried mother, who has three other sons with James — Edward, eight, Louis, six, and Hugo, three — wrote: “So. More of a public service announcement than a post really but as we all know, life with kids is anything but predictable.. So, after spending the night in hospital (I swear they’ll start charging us rent soon) after Rufus decided to snack on a plant in the garden – one I didn’t even know was dangerous. All hell let loose.
“(full video in next post – wouldn’t let me post here) Within minutes his tongue had started to swell, he was screaming and we had to call 999. (As always – NHS heroes, honestly.) Thankfully he’s absolutely fine now but it turned out the culprit was Italian Arum, a really common plant with bright orange berries that looks innocent but is seriously toxic if ingested.”, reports Wales Online.
“I mean, I had no idea. And once I started looking into it… turns out there are loads of plants like that quietly minding their own (deadly) business in UK gardens. So, in true mum fashion, I made a list. For anyone else who didn’t know either. Because no one needs that kind of adrenaline on a Tuesday afternoon.
“Plants to keep an eye on in your garden: Foxglove – Beautiful. Can mess with your heart. Deadly Nightshade – The clue’s in the name. Lily of the Valley – Smells great, very toxic. Rhubarb (leaves) – Pie on top, poison underneath. Yew – Classic hedge. Lethal seeds. Daffodils – Bulbs look like onions. Are not onions. Monkshood (Wolfsbane) – Even touching it can be dangerous. Italian Arum – The one that sent my toddler to AandE.
“Hemlock – tiny white flowers, wildly toxic. Hydrangea – Cyanide-ish compounds. Nice. Laburnum – Seeds = bad news. Oleander – Toxic from root to tip. Wisteria – Pods are a problem. Bluebells and Snowdrops – Lovely. Toxic bulbs. Ivy – Rashy – not fun. Autumn Crocus – NOT to be confused with the spring ones. Buckthorn – Wild diarrhoea vibes.
“So there you go… I debated whether I should post this serious mum fail… but if it could help anyone else avoid a night in AandE then feel free to share away..
“And maybe double-check what’s growing under that trampoline. #lifewiththebyes #mumlifeunfiltered #gardenfails #plantsafety #ukparenting #honestmotherhood #notasaladbar.”
In the comments section, one individual expressed: “Oh my! so glad Rufus is okay now”, another reassured: “Not a mum fail at all – these things happen glad to hear he’s doing ok – big hugs to you both xx” and yet another added: “That’s not a mum fail, you are the most fantastic mother! I would’ve had no idea either , thanks for sharing and glad little guy is ok xx.”
