The super-rare killer that left Saltburn star Barry Keoghan with ‘gnarly tattoo-like scar’ – and 6 signs you must know

IF YOU’VE seen the movie Saltburn, the name Barry Keoghan might conjure up some memorable images.

The 31-year-old Irish actor stripped off to dance around a mansion to Murder On The Dancefloor and everyone’s talking about a certain controversial scene involving a grave.

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It’s safe to say that moviegoers will have seen a fair amount of Barry and might have even spotted a gnarly scar snaking down his right arm.

The actor bared all in a recent interview with GQ, revealing how a super-rare flesh eating disease could have cost him his arm – or his life.

The scar is a ‘souvenir’ from his brush with death, which occurred just days before he started filming The Banshees of Inisherin in August 2021.

Martin McDonagh, who directed the film, told GQ: “We were only about four days out from shooting, and his arm was puffed up.”

He said Barry seemed blasé about it, telling the director he would be fine within a few days.

But once in hospital, it was revealed the actor was suffering from necrotising fasciitis, a rare and life threatening condition that occurs when a wound gets infected.

It can develop very quickly and needs immediate hospital treatment.

According to the NHS, you might experience:

1. Intense pain or loss of feeling near to a cut or wound, which may seem much worse than you would usually expect from a cut or wound
2. Swelling of the skin around the affected area
3. Flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, headache and tiredness
4. Being sick and diarrhoea
5. Confusion
6. Black, purple or grey blotches and blisters on the skin

One in five cases of necrotising fasciitis are fatal, according to GQ.

Barry told the magazine that doctors were considering having to amputate his arm.

He remembered asking doctors “But I’m not gonna die, right?” and the doctors saying, “Well, we don’t know.”

Even Martin was concerned for the actor.

“I went to the hospital thinking, Shit – is he going to die? Let alone, is he going to make the movie,” he recalled.

“But I came out of there energised and looking forward to it.”

Barry remembered the heart monitor beeping in the background and Martin saying: “Just remember this when you’ve been nominated for an Oscar.”

Thankfully, Barry pulled through and he was nominated for an Oscar for his roles in The Banshees of Inisherin – though he lost out to Ke Huy Quan in Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Now, the Saltburn star has been left with “gnarly scar tissue that winds its way up his arm like a snake tattoo”.

What should I do if I have necrotising fasciitis symptoms?

The NHS says you should call 999 or go to A&E immediately if:

• You have a cut or wound that is much more painful than you would expect
• You have a cut or wound and get symptoms like a high temperature, headache, tiredness and muscle aches
• You have sudden confusion
• You have black, purple or grey blotches or blisters near a cut or wound

Treatments for the rare infection include antibiotics and surgery to the affected area.

You may be more at risk from developing necrotising fasciitis if you have diabetes or a weakened immune system, the NHS added.

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