My Kitchen Rules' Ash risked losing his remaining eye if he and Stacey didn't leave the show.

My Kitchen Rules fans were shocked by Stacey Allen and Ash Keillah’s sudden announcement they were leaving the show due to an infection in Ash’s eye.

But the 34-year-old Bondi man has now shared that the health concern was more serious than he let on.

Ash told the Courier Mail’s Confidential that doctors warned him he could risk losing his remaining eye if he didn’t get immediate treatment.

The Instagram influencer also said that the intensive nature of the show contributed to him developing the infection in the first place.

 

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Tonight’s the night!! ???? @mykitchenrules 7pm @channel7 #MKR

A post shared by Ash Keillah (@thefriendlypirate) on Jan 27, 2019 at 4:38pm PST

“After we filmed the Bondi challenge, I was just wrecked and super run down and my eye socket started swelling up,” he told the newspaper.

“I thought I could just sleep it off but I woke up the next day and it was infected.”

Because of the contagious nature of the infection, doctors told him he couldn’t work around food for a week.

“The doctor was really concerned — he was more concerned because I only have one eye and it was contagious.”

But when he returned to the show in Wednesday night’s episode, it was only to announce he and Ash’s departure for good.

“After getting a little sick I ended up getting an eye infection in my eye socket,” he explained to his fellow contestants. “And then the doctor said that I can’t work with food at the moment. So we’re gonna have to step out of the competition.”

In an Instagram video, Ash and Stacey thanked viewers for their support and kind words and assured fans that Ash had well and truly recovered.

“I’ve been back in the water, surfing like crazy, annoying Stacey all day,” Ash said.

 

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Thank you so much for your support all throughout MKR! We feel so lucky to have had such awesome people backing us this whole way. No one wants to end their MKR journey like this but health was and always will be our #1 priority. We cannot thank you guys enough!! ❤️

A post shared by Ash Keillah (@thefriendlypirate) on Mar 6, 2019 at 1:51pm PST

Ash had lost his other eye in a fight he wasn’t involved in while at a party a decade ago.

“Ten years ago, I was at a party and two blokes started fighting. It didn’t have anything to do with me. I was trying to stop it,” he said on the show.

“And the guy threw a glass and tried to get someone else and got me. Ended up taking my eye out.”

Ash told Confidential that despite feeling “bummed” about leaving he and Ash hoped to return to our TV screens in a more regular role.

And they’re off to a good start, appearing in an episode of Seven’s Creek to Coast that airs in Queensland this weekend.

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