Great British Bake Off champion Nadiya Hussain revealed this week that she has been secretly suffering from two autoimmune diseases, having spent two years in and out of hospital.
Sharing the news via a video on Instagram, the 39-year-old mum of three said: “[...] Over the course of two years, I've been quite unwell. I've just been getting quite sick.
“And over the course of the two years, I've been diagnosed with two autoimmune diseases, which I'm not going to go into now.”
While the Bake Off winner didn’t share the details of the diagnoses, she urged fans to prioritise “taking care of yourself,” saying: “I am the kind of person who burns the candle at both ends, takes care of everyone else's needs but my own.”
But what constitutes an autoimmune disease, and who else has one?
What are autoimmune diseases?
In short, autoimmune disease occur when the immune system accidentally attacks healthy parts of your body instead of protecting it from threats.
They result from the immune system being overactive, causing it to harm itself and damage your body’s own tissues.
While normal bodies would produce antibodies to help fight dangerous diseases, an autoimmune disease prevents someone’s body from being able to tell the difference between these “invaders” and regular, healthy cells.
Some named autoimmune diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, type one diabetes, Crohn’s disease and psoriasis.
They can be caused by certain medications, genetics or a singular infection that sets off changes in your immune system and rewires it.
There aren’t any cures for autoimmune diseases, they can be managed and medicated, such as with steroids, rest and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Which other celebrities have autoimmune diseases?
Many celebrities have autoimmune diseases, especially when you factor in the more common ones, like type one diabetes and psoriasis.
Celebrities with diabetes include Nick Jonas, Ed Gamble, Lila Moss, Este Haim and Vanessa Williams.
As for psoriasis, any viewers of Keeping Up With the Kardashians will know of Kim Kardashian’s long-standing experience with the skin condition, which she has tried to cure via all sorts of methods, including seaweed based products and cling film wrapping.
Meanwhile, Selena Gomez has been open about her battle with lupus after being diagnosed in 2013. In a 2015 cover story with Billboard, Selena revealed her lupus diagnosis, saying: “I was diagnosed with lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy. That’s what my [career] break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke. I wanted so badly to say, ‘You guys have no idea.’ I’m in chemotherapy... I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.”
