The show must go on

My swine flu jab either didn't work or brought on a huge cold in reaction to the vaccine. Although I made it to work, it was touch and go. It got me thinking about how illness is dealt with by people in the public eye.

Sports stars get injuries that are reported, but how often is the reason for someone not playing given as a virus? Blackburn Rovers' finest got swine flu recently and I do remember a food poisoning incident that caused the 2006 Spurs team chasing a Champions League spot to lose out to Arsenal's advantage. Cricketers sometimes get dehydrated in hot weather or eat the occasional dodgy curry.

Pop stars get problems with vocal chords and stress-related illness, guitarists suffer with broken digits. Many entertainers face self-induced difficulties requiring rehab.

Politicians rarely admit to illness as these gets pounced on by the press as signs of weakness (Tony Blair's heart murmur being one case I remember). And when is a monarch or a president ever laid low (this would make front page news and make society feel unsafe, as in Cuba).

There's a 'show must go on' mentality for people in the public eye, whether entertertainers, sports stars, or statesmen and women, but that can't be the entire truth. Even the Queen of England must have been tempted to throw a sickie sometimes, especially during her Annus horribilis in 1992 and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.