IG/BBC Jonathon Hogg was bitten by a brown recluse spider

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Surgeons had to cut a huge chunk out of Jonathon Hogg's leg to stop the infection spreading after he was attacked by the venomous critter. The adventurer was left in unbearable pain after his limb ballooned up and turned BLACK, before the venom set in and began to EAT his flesh. Eventually the rotting flesh turned yellow and doctors had to perform emergency surgery to chop away the infected part of his leg and stop it spreading. ***WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT***

He has described his wounds as "like something out of a horror film" and said if doctors had not got to him sooner he would be dead. His ordeal began six hours into a flight between Qatar and South Africa, when he says he was bitten by a brown recluse spider which had stowed away on board. The 40-year-old from London claims the furry arachnid lashed out after he crossed his legs and accidentally disturbed its resting place in the footwell.

IG Mr Hogg nearly lost his leg after being bitten

He said: "I was struggling to get comfortable during the journey and crossed my legs to get into a better position when I felt a small, sharp pain radiating in my left leg. "I turned on the light and clearly saw a spider running across the floor before hearing two stewardesses screaming 'Spider!', but I wasn't sure if I had been bitten as it really wasn't very painful."

Mr Hogg says he was bitten aboard a jumbo jet [IG]

His leg later swelled up and he was stunned when doctors diagnosed his wounds as a brown recluse bite. He said: "The pain was like nothing I've been through in my life. By the time I got to hospital my leg was bursting open, there was pus, it was black. "It was a right mess. They told me if I had been any later I would have lost my leg or even died. It was terrifying." The barrister, who had been in Australia on a five-month travelling holiday, spent a month in hospital in South Africa as doctors battled to save his leg. They were ultimately successful, but Mr Hogg was horrified when medics removed the bandages and he saw the damage that had been done. He revealed: "I knew something was wrong but I had no idea how bad it was until I spoke with the surgeon. When he told me how close I had come to losing my leg I was stunned. "It really hit home when they removed the bandages and I saw what was left of my leg - it resembled something from a horror film. They had been forced to cut away so much, I was devastated. "However when I realised the extent of my injuries I realised I was just lucky to still have my leg - even if the sight of my leg shocked me when I finally saw it."

It resembled something from a horror film Jonathon Hogg

The keen footballer and kickboxer is now terrified of flying and fears he will never play sport again. And he is facing the prospect of yet another operation - his fourth in just three months since the horror incident - after a skin graft to repair the damage proved unsuccessful. The legal high-flier is now suing the airline, Qatar Airways, which he says has refused to accept responsibility.

WIKIPEDIA The barrister was bitten by a brown recluse spider

He said: "They have made no attempt to resolve the issue and have basically said it was nothing to do with them. All this has left me very traumatised but determined to seek justice. "No one should have to go through what I have and if the airline has made a mistake it should take responsibility."