Author Nicholas Evans tells of deadly mushroom nightmare

MEMBERS of a family who were accidentally poisoned by deadly mushrooms are still waiting for kidney transplants.

Horse Whisperer author Nicholas Evans, 60, needs regular dialysis to keep him alive, as does his wife Charlotte Gordon Cumming, 52, and his brother-in-law Sir Alastair Gordon Cumming.

They fell ill in 2008, with Sir Alastair’s wife Louisa, after eating a poisonous species of mushroom called Cortinarius speciosissimus, also known as deadly webcap.

Mr Evans picked the mushrooms while staying at Sir Alastair’s Altyre Estate, near Forres.

Now, both men are waiting for a kidney transplant and doctors say Charlotte Gordon Cumming will need one in the future.