Coronation Street actress Georgia May Foote has revealed to fans that she suffers from an autoimmune condition that is affecting her appearance. The 32-year-old star, who played Kay Armstrong on the soap until 2015, suffers from vitiligo.
Vitiligo is a condition that causes pale white patches to develop on the skin. It is caused by a lack of the skin pigment melanin and can appear all over a person's body but often on their face.
Foote has now shared her experience and frustration of being diagnosed, and misdiagnosed, with the condition. She revealed her condition in an Instagram post for World Vitiligo Day.
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In her post, she said: "Happy World Vitiligo Day. I developed little white patches on my skin in 2020. To which was wrongly diagnosed as tinea versicolour. I tried everything the doctors said and none of it worked. This just resulted in me feeling worse every time I saw it spread and get bigger in other places.
"It took a whole 12 months before I was even seen by a dermatologist. I went in the room, was diagnosed with vitiligo within minutes and sent away being told there was nothing that could be done. The only thing they tried to give me was steroid cream. Which I refuse to use. As I know it will do absolutely nothing for me. And can cause further damage."
Along with her message, she shared pictures and videos of the blemishes on her skin. In one video she showed a close-up of her hand, which was covered in white patches, including a large area on her palm. While the physical effects are noticeable, Foote said worrying about the condition has impacted her mental health and complained she had not received any support.
"I have never, to this day, been offered support for what this condition can do to your mental health," she said. "Please believe me when I say this has been a huge struggle for me to come to terms with. On the surface I’m ok. Deep down I have never felt so insecure. But I try to push past this every day and see it as something beautiful and unique.
"There is so little information and support given to people with this condition. How and why did mine develop three years ago? Why does it change so often? Can I treat it? I have so many questions and no answers.
"All I know is this is now me. And this has been a very hard condition to process. I will be the girl who refuses to cover it up so that you can feel more confident with yours. And I promise to always be a voice for those going through the same for as long as my platform means anything.
"You are beautiful and you are unique."
