Love Island star AJ Bunker feared she had gone blind after suffering a brutal blow to the eye in training for her upcoming Celeb MMA fight.
The 29-year-old, who found fame on last year’s ITV2 dating show, was sparring with her trainer at CRE8 Gym Hoddesdon when a practice swing landed badly and she was rushed to hospital with internal bleeding of the eye.
The frightening ordeal comes midway through 12 weeks of rigorous training ahead of her first-ever Celeb MMA fight at OVA Arena Wembley on June 24, where 16 celebs will battle it out in a series of brutal head-to-head combat matches inside a cage.
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A source said: “AJ took a serious punch to the eye from one of the trainers during a sparring session. Her face and eye were impacted with immediate swelling and bleeding.
“The bleeding then spread to her eye internally and she was rushed to hospital for immediate attention.
“AJ feared she would lose sight in her eye and feared the impact would leave long term damage.
“Both doctors and ophthalmologists have treated the injury and AJ is recovering ahead of the fight.
“They said she was lucky to have escaped a worse injury.”
Celeb MMA is a 12-week filmed project that will see well known celebrity contestants documenting their training and competing in a closed cage fight at the famous OVO Arena in Wembley.
MMA, or mixed martial arts, is a full-contact combat sport which involves a wide range of fighting techniques from different combat sports.
Carl Woods, James Lock, Aisleyne, Theo Campbell, among others will also be taking part.
It's the latest opportunity that AJ has seized since leaving the Love Island villa – where she had set her sights on Liam Reardon and Hugo Hammond but was ultimately friend-zoned by all the lads – last year.
Since then, AJ is still looking for love but has now embraced her natural beauty. Last September, she revealed she had spent £1,000 on filler to look young before she appeared on the hit dating show, but decided to have it reversed after getting cruelly trolled.
“As soon as he dissolved my filler, I looked so much more natural and instantly felt like me again," she said. "I haven’t got any cheek filler now and I (might) get my lips dissolved at some point too.”
A rep for AJ said: "AJ is recovering since the shock incident and is adament this won't affect her training or upcoming fight."
Click here for info on how to get tickets to Celeb MMA at the OVO Arena Wembley on June 24.
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