Martha Stewart contracted salmonella through Thanksgiving turkeys

Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart fell sick with a nasty bout of salmonella poisoning last month after handling too many Thanksgiving turkeys.

The cookery expert was forced to cancel a series of public appearances, including a job hosting a tribute gala for Neil Sedaka in Manhattan, after contracting the nasty food-borne bug, which causes nausea, vomiting, cramps and diarrhoea.

Stewart is convinced she came down with the illness after handling raw turkey during a number of TV cookery appearances around the American holiday.

She tells New York Post gossip column Page Six, "I never get sick, but I came down with salmonella. I think I caught it because I was handling so many turkeys around Thanksgiving. I was on the Today show, I did a number of other (Thanksgiving) appearances. It really hit me hard and I was in bed for days. It was terrible. I lost some weight, though."