Rachael Finch has shared a graphic social media image showing the severed tip of her thumb after a kitchen accident in which she said she sliced off the top of the digit while preparing a salad.
Finch, a model and former Miss Universe Australia runner-up, posted the photograph on Tuesday to her roughly 322,000 followers, accompanied by images of a bandaged thumb and a brief video from a doctor’s office in which she gives a thumbs-up. In a caption she urged followers not to rush and to read instructions, writing, "If I've re-learnt anything the past couple of weeks it's the importance of not rushing. Take your time. Be careful. Read the instructions. So what if you're a little late..."
According to Finch’s posts, the injury occurred while she was slicing cabbage with a mandoline slicer. She shared a photograph taken in the back of an Uber on the way to the emergency department showing her thumb wrapped in a tea towel and raised in the air. Finch said her husband was at tennis with their children when the accident happened and that she put herself in the vehicle to seek treatment.
Finch provided followers with a running update after the ER visit and wrote that both she and her husband’s mother, who separately suffered a broken shoulder, were "on the road to recovery." She thanked followers for messages of support and added, "Love you guys. Thumbs up."
The mandoline slicer involved was, she said, a gift from Australian reality TV contestant Ash Pollard. Finch posted a text exchange with Pollard in which she messaged, "In emergency now," and later, "I have the tip of my finger with me." Pollard replied with shock and later told media she had given Finch the utensil to make chopping easier, saying she had hoped it would "change her life."
Finch also posted a short video in which she admitted she had not been using the safety guard that came with the slicer. Mandoline injuries are commonly associated with a lack of protective use, and many product instructions and safety advisories recommend using guards or cut-resistant gloves to reduce the risk of lacerations.
Medical details about Finch’s treatment were not disclosed beyond the bandaging shown in her social posts and the trip to the emergency department. She did not indicate whether surgeons attempted reattachment of the fingertip.
Finch’s decision to share the cleaned fingertip image and subsequent updates drew a mix of concern and advice from followers. She used the posts to emphasize caution in the kitchen and to remind followers to slow down when using sharp tools.
Finch has previously maintained a public profile through television appearances and social media. The posts about the accident and the images were published on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, and circulated widely across entertainment and tabloid outlets following her initial social-media updates.