Chlo Hes has recounted the terrifying moment she realised she was choking while cameras rolled on The Block NZ.
The 25-year-old contestant and her teammate Em were having dinner with rival competitors Ben and Tom when she started choking on her food while laughing at a joke.
"I was so scared. After a few coughs, I thought it would come out, but it was really just stuck," she told The Project.
When it became clear she couldn't breathe, Chlo suddenly stood up from the table, knocking her chair over and coughing violently.
"I was panicking, I was like, 'is anyone going to help me or not?'" she said.
"The hardest thing was communicating 'I'm choking'."
Luckily, rival team member Ben Speedy lived up to his last name, realising something was seriously wrong and springing into action.
"Thank goodness Ben asked me the clearest question, 'are you choking?'" she said.
"Then I could nod with my head like, 'yes!'"
Ben started to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre, and despite asking "how do you do this!?" he managed to dislodge the offending morsel - a piece of carrot.
The girls were able to laugh off the incident shortly after Chlo had recovered, but Ben was in still shock.
"I don't know how you guys are so chill right now," he told them.
"I saw it in your eyes... and I just panicked!"
Chlo said that if Ben hadn't come to her rescue, she was considering throwing herself back onto the dining table in an attempt to free her airway.
The Block NZ airs on Three Sundays at 7pm and Monday-Wednesday at 7:30pm. It can also be viewed on ThreeNow.
Newshub.
