EXCLUSIVE: Mum Jess was left in agony before receiving a worrying diagnosis after wearing some sandals bought from the Devon branch of Primark for just under an hour
Christopher Sharp Trendswatch Reporter
15:57, 17 Jul 2026Updated 18:27, 17 Jul 2026
Jess was rushed to hospital after finding a blister on her right foot(Image: Kennedy News & Media
)
A woman who went on a walk in some sandals she purchased from Primark had to be rushed to hospital with a serious condition. Mum Jess got the shoes from a Devon branch of Primark on June 16. Later, on July 9, she went for a 40-minute walk in them.
Afterwards, she noticed a blister the size of a five pence piece, but she became concerned when her “throbbing” foot grew in size and she began to develop a fever.
After struggling to walk, Jess rushed to A&E where she was diagnosed with cellulitis, a condition the NHS describe as “a skin infection that’s treated with antibiotics”.
They said: “Cellulitis makes your skin painful, hot and swollen. The area usually looks red, but this may be less obvious on brown or black skin. Your skin may also be blistered. You may also feel unwell and have flu-like symptoms, with swollen, painful glands.”
Although Jess has since received treatment, she has said she was just one step away from sepsis. Jess has since spoken out about the size seven khaki sandals she bought from Primark.
Jess Bache’s foot(Image: Kennedy News & Media
)
Photographs taken of Jess’ foot show her severely swollen limb with orange pus coming from it. She has since said she won’t buy cheap sandals again, despite previously having no issues buying from Primark.
Speaking about the experience, she said: “It just looked like a normal blister and the skin had come off my foot. By Saturday my whole foot had swollen up and then on Sunday I was on the phone to 111 asking for advice.
“It was throbbing and I couldn’t put weight on it and I could barely walk. It felt like I had pins and needles in my foot constantly. The blister turned like a blood clot on my foot and it was seeping orange pus.
“On Monday I could barely walk and this is when I knew I needed to go to A&E as I couldn’t do anything. My foot felt like it was filled with liquid and would explode. When you put weight on it, it felt like it would burst. It felt really tight and if you put added pressure on it, it would burst. I felt feverish and I thought I had an infection.
“It was seeping orange pus still and started opening a bit. The doctors bandaged it up and told me I had cellulitis, which is an infection one step before sepsis.”
Jess experienced the horrific experience earlier this year (Image: Kennedy News & Media
)
Despite her survival, Jess has concerns she will come out with a scar and since shared her experiences on TikTok.
Underneath a video posted on the platform, which has since gotten around 200,000 views, people responded saying that they had experienced what Jess had experienced.
One replier said: “The same happened to me – exact same place. Never worn them since.” Another reacted: “This happened to me! I wore them one time on holiday last year. I’ve still got scars on both feet from them rubbing me over a year later.”
A third added: “I had this two years ago and still have the mark.”
Overall, Jess says the experience has made her opt for more expensive footwear. She explained: “It’s put me off buying cheaper sandals and I’ve binned these ones. I’d now opt for more expensive sandals as this was a nightmare.
“I would tell people who are shopping for sandals this summer to go more expensive. Honestly this could have ended up 10 times worse and could have turned into sepsis.”
What has Primark said?
A spokesperson for Primark said: “We take the quality and comfort of our products very seriously and work closely with our suppliers and quality teams to ensure our products meet our high standards. We would encourage the customer to get in contact with us directly so we can look into it further.”
