Dawn French details her and Jennifer Saunders’ ‘very odd’ brush with death

In a shocking revelation, beloved comedian Dawn French has recently disclosed a near-death encounter she and her comedy partner, Jennifer Saunders, experienced back in the 1980s.

The dynamic duo, known for their exceptional humour and witty performances, narrowly escaped a tragic fate after falling victim to carbon monoxide poisoning while filming in Spain.

In a passage from her new book The Twat Files acquired by The Mirror, French detailed the ordeal.

“We made a film for The Comic Strip called A Fistful of Travellers’ Cheques in 1984,” she explained.

“We were sharing a villa with two bedrooms – Fatty [Dawn’s nickname for pal Jennifer] and her then-boyfriend in one room and me in the other.

“About five days in, we were called to set. A car would pick us up at 6am and it was my job to be the alarm. I duly woke up and, in an effort not to fall back to sleep, I attempted to sit up.

“What happened next was very odd. It was as if I’d been thwacked in the face with a frying pan in a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

“Eventually, I managed to roll on to the floor. I was groggy and confused. I crawled to the door, opened it, and shouted to Jennifer. She mumbled something and then I heard a thud. None of us could stand up, so we crawled outside.”

Following the troubling encounter, it was revealed to them that they “were being poisoned by a carbon monoxide leak from a faulty boiler”.

“I’m pretty sure that, if we hadn’t had that early morning call, we wouldn’t be here now because we wouldn’t have attempted to wake up and the gas would’ve finished us off,” French said.

French shares more stories from her life along with her refreshingly candid approach to embracing all her “faux pas” and “stupid decisions” through her memoir.

While announcing the project in a video posted on her Instagram account, French shed light on the book’s inspiration and what readers can expect to find within its pages.

“Now, look, I’m known for a few things, aren’t I? I’m known for asking about titting about, of course, and funnying about something I’m not known for, if we’re honest, is perfection,” the 65-year-old began.

“And so I’ve decided to write new book called The Twat Files. And in this book, I am documenting all the times in my life that I have been so far from perfect. In fact, all the times that I’ve been an utter twat.

“And there are many, many, many examples, more than I ever thought, alarming amount of times that I have made faux pas, mistakes, stupid decisions and got things very, very wrong.

“But look, the fact is that I’m sort of butting against being perfect, having filters and perfect angles.

“I’m saying let’s be flawed. Let’s celebrate the flaws and all the mistakes we’ve made. Let’s wear them like medals across our ample bosom.”