Gary Goldsmith, the Princess of Wales's self-styled "naughty uncle," has revealed how a serious health scare and a firm intervention from his sister Carole Middleton prompted him to give up alcohol and partying. Goldsmith, who had already lost six stone using weight-loss injections, suffered a life-threatening episode of internal bleeding linked to liver disease at his Ibiza villa, requiring emergency surgery. The incident marks a significant turning point for a man long known for his hedonistic lifestyle, and he credits the Middleton family's resilience, along with admiration for Kate's public battle with cancer, for helping him change his ways.

The health emergency struck eight days after his 60th birthday in April last year, when he woke vomiting blood after falling asleep on the sofa. He was rushed into emergency surgery in Ibiza within 12 minutes of arriving at hospital, where doctors banded swollen veins in his oesophagus to prevent fatal blood loss, and he spent 48 hours in intensive care. Despite this, he initially discharged himself against medical advice, prompting his daughter Tallulah, 24, to insist he return to the UK for further treatment, while his wife Julie-Ann and sister Carole also urged him to take his health seriously.