Marion Bartoli says she was hospitalised with exhaustion

Marion Bartoli says she was hospitalised with exhaustion

Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli said her 2013 win 'saved her life' after she was hospitalised with exhaustion.

The retired French star spent four months in hospital last year after she suffered dramatic weight loss, with concerns raised after pictures emerged of her looking gaunt.

The 32-year-old denied she suffered any eating disorder problems and said she was struck down by a viral infection that doctors told her was 'H1N1 (influenza) but worse'.

Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, pictured at the French Open in June, has returend to a healthier figure a year after fans expressed concern over her dramatic weight loss

She was pictured here in 2016 after suffering dramatic weight loss, which she blamed on a mystery virus 'worse than influenza', while she spent four months in hospital due to 'exhaustion' 

Speaking to The Times, Bartoli said watching replays of her win against German Sabine Lisicki gave her the strength to fight off the infection.

She said: 'Winning a grand slam saved me last year. I went through a lot on the tennis court but it was nothing compared to what I went through last year. It kept me alive.'

After the photos emerged, rumours spread she was suffering from anorexia but the athlete has since dismissed them.

She added: 'I was in the public eye and I could hear people talking behind my back and saying "Oh, she's anorexic". I wanted to scream out and say "you have no idea what I'm, going through".'

Bartoli told The Times she did not 'recognise' her health problems despite her weight loss, while she 'ignored' a fever she suffered during a ballet class in Paris.

She added: 'I was starving and tired but when I was eating I was throwing up, but I had so many projects I couldn't give up on them'.

Bartoli pictured after winning her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon after beating Sabine Lisicki in 2013

Bartoli, left, was caught up in another controversy after her 2013 win when BBC pundit John Inverdale, right, told BBC Radio 5 Live she was 'never going to be a looker'

Inverdale was accused of sexism but the pair appear to be on good terms now having presented tennis coverage together over the past few years

The tennis star added her hair fell out and she could not process protein during the worst of the infection, while she 'bought clothes for 14-year-olds' because they were all that would fit her.

Bartoli covered Wimbledon as a pundit last year but revealed she 'did not know if she would wake up' each morning, adding she would 'accept dying' at the SW19 championships.

She added her Wimbledon win itself was a 'miracle', claiming her health problems started before the victory and her body was 'falling apart' during the 2013 tournament. 

It was not the first time Bartoli was associated with controversy at Wimbledon, following John Inverdale's comments after her championship victo ry.

The BBC pundit said she was 'never going to be a looker', prompting accusations of sexism.

Inverdale said on BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘I just wonder if her dad did say to her... “Listen, you are never going to be, you know, a looker. You are never going to be somebody like a Sharapova... so you have to compensate for that. You are going to have to be the most dogged, determined fighter anyone has ever seen on the tennis court.”’

Inverdale was subsequently sidelined from Wimbledon coverage in the following years, demoted from his nightly show in favour of Clare Balding. 

Bartoli (pictured at the French Open) last year insisted that she had returned to her 'natural shape' after regular gym visits, healthy eating and giving up tennis

Her appearance in Wimbledon that month, as part of the BBC commentary team, sparked a flurry of tweets from worried viewers. Pictured: Bartoli in June

But Bartoli was defiant in the face of his remarks and said they did not bother her.

Speaking at the time, she said: ‘I didn’t care whatsoever. All I cared about was having my name for ever on that trophy. 

'The rest? So what? Look at my weight. Is it going to change the fact I won Wimbledon 2013? No.’

The pair appear to be on good terms now and have worked alongside each other presenting tennis over the past few years. 

Bartoli has since insisted her weight problems are behind her and that she had returned to her 'natural shape' after regular gym visits, healthy eating and giving up tennis.

Bartoli's fans on social media also today complimented her on her jewellery and makeup as she took to the court at the French Open in June in the 'Legend Women' tournament

Bartoli defended her dramatic three stone weight loss in June last year (pictured)

Bartoli appears to have been on a mission to get healthier since the pictures emerged in June 2016. Here she is seen at the NRJ Music Awards in November

Her appearance in Wimbledon last year sparked a flurry of tweets from worried viewers.

Bartoli herself responded to social media concern about her weight, telling the Sun her weight loss was 'natural'.

She said: 'It has happened naturally. My natural frame is quite tiny, that is the way my mum and dad are.

'I have just gone back to my natural shape. All that shows you is the amount of effort I had to put in to become the tennis player I was.'

Bartoli posted a picture of herself alongside Olympic skiier Lindsey Vonn, describing her as an 'incredible champion and legend'

Bartoli (left, in 2013 and right in 2015) insisted that she had returned to her 'natural shape' after regular gym visits, healthy eating and giving up tennis

But earlier this year, she admitted to adhering to a strict diet while launching a tennis clothing range, dropping three stone (20 kg) after she stopped going to the gym.

'[I eat] steamed vegetables, salads, cucumbers,' she said.

'There’s a nice dessert that’s dairy-free, sugar-free, fat-free, butter-free and made of coconut oil.'

Now, however, the star has said that the best Christmas present she got this year was 'to be again healthy. [SIC]'  

But this January, just six months on, Bartoli looked more like her former self again

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