Some stars deal privately with chronic illness, but others open up about their
health struggles in the hopes of using their platforms to raise awareness.
In October 2018, actor Selma Blair revealed on Instagram that she'd been diagnosed
with multiple sclerosis, an auto-immune condition in which the body attacks itself,
causing damage to the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Blair wrote,
"I am disabled. I fall sometimes. I drop things. My memory is foggy.
And my left side is asking for directions from a broken GPS."
"It really shook my faith. It really, really, really threw me backwards."
Having had troubling symptoms for years, Blair was somewhat relieved to find the
cause of her illness. Speaking to CBS Mornings in May 2023, she explained,
"When I got the diagnosis at late 40-something it seems, I was surprised,
but then I was like, 'Oh of course,' and when the doctor said the first night,
'You've had this at least 25, 30 years, at least,' I was happy. I needed it."
Since revealing her diagnosis, Blair appeared on the cover of British Vogue holding a cane,
calling for more accessibility for disabled people in the fashion world.
In December 2022, Celine Dion posted an Instagram video in which she revealed that she'd been
diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, or SPS, leading her to eventually cancel her Courage
World Tour. The singer explained that her illness has been causing spasms, among other symptoms.
"Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life."
SPS is a progressive disease, which can affect the muscles in a person's arms, legs, and torso,
causing painful spasms. Reflexes are also impacted by SPS, so it can be difficult
to react to dangerous situations. And in her Instagram video, Dion revealed that
the condition had also affected her vocal cords, making it difficult for her to sing and perform.
Model Christy Turlington revealed in December 2000 that she'd received a diagnosis of early-stage
emphysema at the age of 31. The condition damages the air sacs in a person's lungs,
reducing the amount of oxygen that's able to reach the bloodstream. This
can cause symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath or coughing.
Turlington quit smoking at the age of 26. She told The Times,
"The really frightening thing is,
there was enough of an effect from my smoking that it caused permanent damage."
"Not everyone who smokes will die from it, but as many as half of all long-term smokers will."
In 2016, Turlington revealed that she'd been diagnosed with COPD,
a blanket term for irreversible lung conditions
including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. In an interview with Health, she explained,
"I smoked for many years, and I was also exposed to a lot of secondhand smoke. I didn't really
think about the damage I was doing to my lungs until I started having trouble breathing."
Turlington went on to say the experience made her realize the importance of caring for your lungs.
After unexpectedly pulling out of the U.S. Open in 2011,
tennis superstar Venus Williams revealed that she'd been diagnosed with Sjögren's
syndrome. In a statement released by the tournament, Williams explained,
"I am thankful I finally have a diagnosis and am now focused on
getting better and returning to the court soon."
Sjögren's Syndrome is an autoimmune condition in which a person's white
blood cells attack moisture-producing glands. It can cause fatigue, neuropathies,
joint pain, severe dryness, and lymphomas.
Speaking to the Sjögren's Foundation, Williams said,
"I was misdiagnosed many times and my symptoms got progressively
worse to the point where I couldn't play professional tennis anymore."
Williams has since returned to playing tennis,
crediting a raw vegan diet with helping her return to the court.
Modern Family star Sarah Hyland was born with kidney dysplasia, meaning that her kidneys didn't
develop fully before she was born. When she was 21 years old, Hyland had her first kidney transplant,
when her father donated a kidney to her. Unfortunately, Hyland's body rejected the kidney
in 2017, sending her into kidney failure, and she underwent dialysis as a life-saving measure.
In an interview with Self, Hyland explained, "When a family member gives you a second chance
at life, and it fails, it almost feels like it's your fault. And it's not. But it does."
The same year, Hyland's brother donated a kidney,
and this time the transplant was successful. Hyland also lives with endometriosis.
"I think, personally, for someone being so tiny to have a stomach that looks like the
New Jersey turnpike just shows who I am and what kind of character I have."
While undergoing treatment for kidney dysplasia, endometriosis, and an abdominal hernia,
Hyland continued to film Modern Family, and it's impossible to imagine the show without her.
In August 2021, actor Christina Applegate revealed that she'd
recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In a Twitter post, she wrote,
"It's been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by
people that I know who also have this condition. It's been a tough road."
"Oh, by the way, I have a disease. Um, anyway. Did you not notice? I'm not even wearing shoes."
Applegate was diagnosed with the incurable neurological condition while she worked
on the last season of Netflix's Dead to Me. After some time away,
she returned to shoot the final episodes, for which she was nominated for an Emmy in 2023.
As well as affecting a person's mobility, MS can also cause fatigue and widespread pain,
along with cognitive changes and bladder and bowel issues. As an autoimmune disease,
periods of relapse occur when the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord,
leading to irreparable damage and disability. In an interview
with Vanity Fair, Applegate opened up about what life was like post-diagnosis, saying,
"With the disease of MS, it's never a good day. There are just certain things that
people take for granted in their lives that I took for granted. Going down the stairs,
carrying things — you can't do that anymore. It f—ing sucks."
In the 2017 Netflix documentary Gaga:
Five Foot Two, Lady Gaga shared that she lives with fibromyalgia.
"All of a sudden I started to experience
this incredible intense pain throughout my entire body."
Fibromyalgia usually causes musculoskeletal pain throughout the body, along with fatigue,
and can affect a person's memory, mood, and sleep.
The singer has spoken out about the negativity
those with fibromyalgia face on a daily basis, telling Vogue,
"I get so irritated with people who don't believe fibromyalgia is real. For me, and I think for
many others, it's really a cyclone of anxiety, depression, PTSD, trauma, and panic disorder, all
of which sends the nervous system into overdrive, and then you have nerve pain as a result."
Lady Gaga's decision to speak out about her journey with the condition has undoubtedly
helped people all over the world who are also living with fibromyalgia.