Lana Coc-Kroft off respirator as optimism grows

UPDATE

Television personality Lana Coc-Kroft has been taken off a respirator and is breathing unaided again at Auckland Hospital.

Her family and doctors feared the 36-year-old could die yesterday after her condition deteriorated and she began to have trouble breathing.

She has been fighting a mysterious tropical disease since she was airlifted from Fiji last week where she had been filming Celebrity Treasure Island.

Her agent, former All Black Andy Haden said had she not been fit and healthy doctors and family feared the disease would have killed her but today her condition had improved.

"She is off the respirator. She is stable again but still critical."

Ms Coc-Kroft was on the respirator for more than 24 hours.

Haden said she was still in a coma and gravely ill but optimism she would survive the mysterious disease had grown.

"It's definitely improved."

He said doctors had yet to identify the disease and were concentrating on treating the symptoms and keeping her alive.

- NZPA