Dame Prue Leith was taken to hospital following fears she was suffering a stroke.
The former Great British Bake Off judge, 86, was holidaying in Yorkshire when a severe migraine left her struggling to speak.
Her husband, John Playfair, raised concerns about her symptoms with their doctor, who summoned an ambulance.
Writing in her Prue’s News column for the September issue of The Oldie magazine, which is out on Friday, Dame Prue recalled: “A few weeks ago, staying in Yorkshire, I had a migraine attack. It followed a familiar path. First, I can see only half of whatever I’m looking at.
“This is speedily followed by a bright circle of flickering, coloured lights in the upper right field of vision. If I don’t swiftly swallow one of my migraine ‘bombs’ (three pills: paracetamol, ibuprofen and sumatriptan), a crashing headache will follow.”
Having dealt with attacks since she was nine years old, she keeps medication in her handbag, washbag and her husband’s shoulder bag.
However, she recently experienced a “rare” symptom that caused her speech to “go bananas”.
She recounted: “This time, my incomprehensible jumble of disconnected words convinced John I was having a stroke. I tried to tell him it was just a migraine, but I couldn’t string two words together.
“He rang our doctor, who asked me, could I raise my arms? Yes. Make a fist? Yes. Did anything hurt? No. Was the side of my face drooping? No.
“In spite of my answers, she ordered an ambulance to take me to Harrogate Hospital.”
Following initial checks by a paramedic and nurse, she waited hours to see a doctor and undergo a CT scan, eventually leaving hospital after 10 hours.
In her column, Dame Prue praised NHS staff, describing them as “cheerful, sympathetic, polite, helpful and professional”.
She wrote: “You may have to wait for ever. But when it is your turn, you are treated as if you were the only patient in A&E, with concern and patience.”
Regarding the medical caution, she added: “I knew all along that all I had was a migraine. But since the speech problem is a classic symptom of a stroke, and my extreme old age being a time when mini strokes are common, everyone was determined to be safe not sorry.”
She noted it was “no wonder the nation is devoted to the NHS”.
Besides Great British Bake Off, Dame Prue judged BBC show Great British Menu and has championed food education across a six-decade career.
She was made a dame in 2021 for services to food, broadcasting and charity.
