‘Unspeakable agony’: Denise Drysdale hospitalised with rare nerve disorder

Denise Drysdale, affectionately known as ‘Ding Dong’, has been hospitalised with a rare nerve disorder affecting her face.

According to a news.com.au report, Studio 10 entertainment reporter Craig Bennett broke the news live on air on Thursday, revealing the 72-year-old, who’s a regular panellist on the Channel 10 morning show, fell ill last week after suffering “unspeakable agony”.

“You might’ve noticed you haven’t seen somebody on this couch or on this show for a little while,” he said. “We’re talking Denise Drysdale. Why you’ve not seen her on the show for a little bit is because of this reason. Last week she was taken to hospital after suffering unspeakable agony that she described to me as a cross between being struck by a lightning bolt and a white-hot poker.”

Craig went on to explain that she’s suffering from a rare nerve disorder that affects the face. “Trigeminal neuralgia, it’s called,” he revealed. “I know we all share in wishing our Denise Drysdale the speediest of recoveries. We need our regular dose of Ding Dong.”

Denise’s shock diagnosis comes almost a year after she was rushed to hospital after injuring herself while filming the Channel 7 show Holey Moley.

Craig broke the news at the time, revealing she “took a tumble”. “She’s wound up doing herself a terrible damage,” he said. “She’s in [the] hospital now, she’s going to be OK.”