TOWIE’s Diags opens up about brother’s life-threatening brain aneurysm

He had a "50-50 chance of survival"

James Diags Bennewith

by Marianna Manson |
Updated on

Just a week after his brother Jack was discharged from hospital, TOWIE’s James ‘Diags’ Bennewith has opened up about the devastating scare to friend Chloe Sims.

In emotional scenes on last night’s episode, Diags broke down in tears as he described Jacks’ “50-50 chance of survival” after he suffered two bleeds on the brain and a brain aneurysm.

He explained, "But obviously when you look it up and there's 50-50 chance of whether you're going to make it or not it was proper f--king...

"I took for granted spending time with my brother where I'd just pass it off... do you know what I mean?"

CHECK OUT: TOWIE couples you forgot about

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11 TOWIE couples you completely forgot about - slider

Mark Wright and Sam Faiers TOWIE1 of 11
CREDIT: ITV

Mark Wright and Sam Faiers

Mark and Sam's on/off relationship goes all the way back to when she was 16 and they met on MySpace (aw, those were the days). They briefly dated during their time on TOWIE but were never able to give things a proper go before he quit the show in 2011.

Kirk Norcross and Amy Childs TOWIE2 of 11
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Kirk Norcross and Amy Childs

Kirk and Amy's flirtationship was one of the main storylines during the first season of TOWIE and they eventually briefly dated before splitting in 2011. In a 2013 appearance on This Morning, Kirk admitted, "I will still love Amy until the day I die - she is literally like the girl version of me. When it didn't work out, it broke my heart really... and it wasn't her fault, it was both of our fault."

Gemma Collins and Charlie King TOWIE3 of 11
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Gemma Collins and Charlie King

Gemma and Charlie briefly dated in 2012 but split after she grew concerned about his friendship with Bobby Norris. Two years later, Charlie came out as gay during an appearance on This Morning. He's still friends with Gemma and even admitted in 2017 that he would consider being the GC's sperm donor if she asked.What a turn of events that would be.

Lauren Goodger and Tom Pearce TOWIE4 of 11
CREDIT: ITV

Lauren Goodger and Tom Pearce

Remember the days when Joey Essex's BFF Tom Pearce romanced basically every woman within a 10 mile radius of Brentwood? Lauren Goodger became one his many conquests following her split from Mark Wright but they hit the rocks when she caught wind of him bragging about their rendezvous.

Mario Falcone and Chloe Sims TOWIE5 of 11
CREDIT: Getty

Mario Falcone and Chloe Sims

It's fair to say Chloe Sims has been unlucky in love over the years but things looked up for her when she began dating close pal Mario. Things moved quick for the pair and she even admitted she loved him - causing friction with BFF Lauren Pope who'd previously dated Mario - but he wasn't ready to settle down and called things off.

Harry Derbidge and Bobby Norris TOWIE6 of 11
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Harry Derbidge and Bobby Norris

After three years away from the TOWIE scene, OG cast member Harry Derbidge returned as Bobby Norris' boyfriend (in some very skimpy swimwear, nonetheless) during the cast's annual jaunt to Marbs.Their relationship ended in tears though when Harry confessed to sleeping with his ex while on holiday in Tenerife.

Dan Osborne and Lucy Mecklenburgh7 of 11
CREDIT: ITV

Dan Osborne and Lucy Mecklenburgh

They've now found love with soap star other halves Jacqueline Jossa and Ryan Thomas but before that, Dan Osborne and Lucy Mecklenburgh were an item.They began dating in 2013 but called it quits amid claims he knew about his ex Megan Tomlin being pregnant before getting with Lucy.

Charlie Sims and Ferne McCann TOWIE8 of 11
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Charlie Sims and Ferne McCann

Ferne McCann's on/off relationship with Chloe Sims' brother Charlie provided LOTS of dramz on TOWIE over the years, with rumours she cheated on him cropping up more than once.Eventually Charlie publicly quit the show AND dumped Ferne at the same time in a series of tweets in 2014. Awks...

Dan Edgar and Kate Wright TOWIE9 of 11
CREDIT: Getty

Dan Edgar and Kate Wright

Before she wed footballer Rio and became Mrs Ferdinand, Kate Wright joined TOWIE as the ex of Dan Edgar, who reportedly dumped her to star in the show.She took him back after his romances with Lauren Pope and Jess Wright but it wasn't to be and they eventually split for good.

Shelby Tribble and Tom McDonnell TOWIE10 of 11
CREDIT: ITV

Shelby Tribble and Tom McDonnell

Tom McDonnell joined TOWIE alongside a whole host of newbies including Harry Lee and Chloe Brockett in 2019 and soon caught the eye of Shelby Tribble following her split from Sam Mucklow.Sam soon came back on the scene though and Shelby dumped Tom to reunite with her ex. Sam and Shelby later quit the show together and are now expecting their first child.

James Argent and Jasmin Walia TOWIE11 of 11
CREDIT: Getty

James Argent and Jasmin Walia

In between his long-running relationships with Lydia Bright and Gemma Collins, James Argent was set up on a blind date with Jasmin Walia and they appeared to hit it off. Things seemed to move too quickly for his liking though, causing him to run from her house after being introduced to her parents. Oh, Arg...

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Earlier this month Diags took to his Instagram to update fans on his brother’s health scare, who was rushed to hospital by a friend after after becoming seriously ill.

“He’s coming back home, after suffering a brain aneurysm and two bleeds on the brain... then having to have a brain operation for 8 and a half hours, all by himself as Covid means you can’t even visit the ward!” he wrote.

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He went on to urge followers to be mindful of symptoms like Jack’s, writing, "If you ever feel unwell or being sick, headaches, stiff neck please go get checked out because you never know what it might be 🙏❤️."

Diags’ former TOWIE co-stars took to the comments with messages of support, with James ‘Arg’ Argent writing, “We love you Jack ❤️” and Mario Falcone saying, “Wish him a speedy recovery mate ❤️”.

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