Australian singer Gretta Ray has shared an emotional update following the news that she is being treated in a London hospital for an unknown illness.
Overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from her fans, she posted on Instagram on July 16 expressing her gratitude and clarifying her current situation.
“I’m overwhelmed by the outpouring of love on my latest post, you are all so incredibly kind and it really means the world to me, thank you x,” she wrote on her Instagram Story.
“I wanted to clarify that luckily I’m not having to deal with this experience on my own – due to the seriousness of my condition my family are here in London taking care of me 💓 I am in good hands here in a really good hospital. Just taking it day by day. Lots of love 💛.”
Ray’s health journey began shortly after she moved from Melbourne to London in early June, aiming to give her artist career the “very best shot” she could.
However, her plans took an unexpected turn when she was admitted to the ER shortly after her arrival and remained hospitalised for five weeks. On 12 July, Ray first broke the news to her fans about her hospitalisation with an Instagram post captioned “It’s been a while… thought it was time to tell you why. ❤️🩹”
She described the period as a “scary time” filled with uncertainty but remained hopeful about her future. “I will soon be on the other side of all of this,” she assured her followers.
In her candid social media post, Ray shared, “I have a long recovery period ahead of me and for now I’m going to keep the details of my illness private, but I felt compelled to make this post to remind all of you that if you are ever feeling unsettlingly sick, in unexpected sudden pain, or you just know that something is wrong, make sure you listen to that gut feeling and get seen to as soon as you can.”
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Expressing her gratitude towards the medical staff, she added, “I am extremely grateful to the many doctors and nurses who are taking such amazing care of me – I will hold them in my heart forever.” Ray concluded her message by saying that her energy would be focused on recovery and being gentle with her body.
Hailing from Melbourne, Ray’s career blossomed while she was still at school. In 2016, a teenage Ray won Triple J Unearthed and scooped the 2016 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition, which came with a A$50,000 winner’s cheque.
Her debut album, Begin to Look Around, dropped in 2021 and was nominated for an ARIA Music Award (Breakthrough Artist Release) and a J Award for Australian Album of the Year.
In 2023, Ray released her second album, Positive Spin, which was shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize and the J Award. Her single “Heartbreak Baby” was also nominated for Song of the Year at the 2024 APRA Music Awards. Earlier this year, in March, Ray released the single “Roses,” which she described as her “love letter to London.” The track featured on the deluxe edition of her second album, Positive Spin.
Ray was also part of the first wave of artist announcements for the 2024 edition of BIGSOUND, one of Australia’s biggest music conferences and festivals. However, due to her illness, she is no longer on the lineup.
