Holidaymaker ‘practically ended up in mortuary’ after being bitten by venomous spider

WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: Julia Newton-Mercer, of St Helens, Merseyside, was visiting Sardinia, Italy when she was bitten by a violin spider. She was taken to hospital with sepsis

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A British holidaymaker was told by doctors she could end up in the ‘mortuary’ after being bitten by a venomous spider on an Italian getaway.

Julia Newton-Mercer was on a week-long trip to Sardinia, Italy, when she was suddenly rushed to hospital. The spider bite on her left ankle flared up and became itchy, but the 43-year-old brushed it off as simply being a ‘nasty’ reaction to the critter.

Over the next few months Julia’s GP prescribed her with antibiotics that cleared the wound for a few weeks before it would flare up again leaving doctors ‘baffled’. After months of it ulcerating and weeping, a giant black blister erupted on the back of her leg and she was rushed to hospital with sepsis.

Fearing she’d lose both legs Julia, who underwent ‘life-saving’ surgery and rehab 10 months after her October 2022 trip, is now still only able to walk for 30 seconds unaided. A doctor pal who looked at the bite pointed the finger of blame at a violin spider, whose bites produce necrosis of the flesh.

The former embalmer, who was forced to quit her job due to the damage caused, says she’s forced to take 15 different medications daily to help it heal and is urging people to get bites checked out.

Julia, from St Helens, Merseyside, said: “I would never have expected this to happen. I’ve had to grieve for the life I’ve essentially lost. I’m gutted I’ve not got superpowers out of all this.

“Me [and my ex-husband] would sit outside the hotel and I think that’s where I got bitten. I got quite a few bites while I was over there but I didn’t think anything of it because I always react quite badly to mosquito bites.

“I came back from holiday with this bite and for about a year it flared up and would heal and flare up again. I just assumed it was a nasty mosquito bite that didn’t go away. UK doctors were baffled as to why I had the antibiotics and it’d heal up and then a couple of weeks or months later it’d flare up again.

“Then I banged the wound on a chair leg but the pain went away and I didn’t think anything else of it. A few weeks after that I started to get really bad pains in my legs, the pain just kept getting worse and worse.”

She added: “In July I went into work and I said ‘I can’t stay, I’m in so much pain’ [down] the entire back of my leg the skin was breaking down and it looked like gangrene. It started weeping and I was in the walk-in centre every day or sometimes twice a day to get it wrapped and dressed.

“We knew it was a bite but didn’t know what else was going on. We discovered it was a spider bite because one of my friends is Sardinian and her uncle is a doctor.

“I sent him photos and videos of the bite and he says ‘yeah I’ve seen that before in my clinic’.”

In August 2023 Julia was hospitalised with sepsis and underwent five-and-a-half-hour surgery, which included an emergency debridement to save both of her legs. She said: “My recollection was the surgeon came to see me and said ‘either we can try some surgery this morning or go to the mortuary this afternoon’.

“I was fully prepared for losing my legs, it was that bad. It was almost overnight that I wasn’t able to walk, I was in so much pain and it was terrifying.

“[Doctors think] the trauma of banging the bite has brought this condition to where my body has decided to attack itself to get rid of the bite. I woke up from that surgery convinced I didn’t have legs, it’s absolutely ridiculous that this one little bite [caused all this].”

Despite having further skin graft surgeries in October 2024 and February 2025 Julia’s been forced to quit her job as she can no longer walk independently. She said: “When I sit and think about it, it really does shock me about how much my life has changed. I can’t go out without somebody with me and it’s a completely different life.

“For the rest of my life it’s going to be looking over my shoulder for this condition to come back. My legs will forever make small children cry but they’re battle scars. I’ve got through it and come out the other side.”

Now Julia is urging other holiday markers to use insect repellent and to cover up to avoid getting bites, but if they do she encourages people to get them checked out. Julia said: “It’s been an experience and not one I’d wish on anyone.

“I’d advise if you’ve got a bite you’re not happy with keep getting it checked out and keep going back. If you know there’s going to be creepy crawlies [on holiday] that are going to bite you, cover yourself as much as you can.

“I didn’t know about the spiders so I think I’ve been very unlucky to have taken such a bad turn.”

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