Billie Shepherd has revealed she was diagnosed with Lyme disease earlier this year following months of ‘horrendous’ symptoms leaving her bed bound.
The TV personality, 35, opened up about her ‘really tough’ battle with the condition that saw her struggling through periods of agonising pain, extreme fatigue and was forced to rely on husband Greg’s help with the most basic of tasks.
She told The Mirror: ‘Some mornings I couldn’t even get out of bed. I would have to crawl, going to the toilet, I was in bits, I was hysterical, crying, because I was in so much pain. It was hard for me to sit on the toilet without Greg helping me. It was so scary.
Billie explained that it took doctors weeks to work out the cause of her illness, while she was left in agony as her immune system attacked itself.
The mother-of-two said: ‘I had so many blood tests but no one could figure it out. One doctor said she’d never seen anything like it. It was frustrating. This went on for about two months before we learnt it was Lyme’.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by ticks and can cause general flu-like symptoms, including fatigue, headache, swollen joints and a fever, which can last for a few weeks, but for reasons not yet understood, some patients suffer for years.
Billie Shepherd, 35, has revealed that she was diagnosed with Lyme disease earlier this year following months of ‘horrendous’ symptoms leaving her bed bound.
The TV personality opened up about her ‘really tough’ battle with the condition as she struggled through periods of agonising pain and extreme fatigue (stock image)
The former TOWIE star said medics believed she was likely bitter by an infected tick as much as three years ago, but the infection lay dormant in her system.
Despite being prescribed antibiotics and steroids, Billie said her body didn’t respond to the medication and claimed they even made her symptoms worse.
She told the publication: ‘I was so unwell. It was only after [My sister] Sam introduced me to a holistic doctor and I started taking natural medicines that I started to notice a difference and things slowly began to turn around’.
Billie is the latest star to open up about their battle with the condition following the likes of Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber, Bella Hadid and Miranda Hart.
Last month the N*SYNC singer, 44, broke the news of his ‘debilitating’ health battle to fans in an Instagram post as he marked the end of his Forget Tomorrow World Tour – after sparking concern over his ‘tired’ stage performances and ‘lip syncing.’
Timberlake’s emotional post read: ‘This has been the most fun, emotional, gratifying, physically demanding, and, at times, grueling experience.
‘I could not have done it without my family, friends, The TN Kids, and all of YOUR support.
‘Among other things, I’ve been battling some health issues, and was diagnosed with Lyme disease – which I don’t say so you feel bad for me – but to shed some light on what I’ve been up against behind the scenes.’
She said: : ‘Some mornings I couldn’t even get out of bed. I would have to crawl, going to the toilet, I was in bits, I was hysterical, crying, because I was in so much pain’
She Billie said she had been forced to rely on husband Greg’s help with the most basic of tasks (pictured with their children Nelly, 10, Arthur, seven, and 21-month-old Margo)
The TOWIE star said medics believed she was likely bitter by an infected tick as much as three years ago, but the infection lay dormant in her system (pictured with sister Sam Faiers)
He continued: ‘If you’ve experienced this disease or know someone who has – then you’re aware: living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically. When I first got the diagnosis I was shocked for sure.
‘But, at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain or, just feeling crazy fatigue or sickness.’
Timberlake said he initially considered canceling his year-long tour – but decided to ‘figure it out.’
‘I decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I’m so glad I kept going’ he wrote.
‘Not only did I prove my mental tenacity to myself but, I now have so many special moments with all of you that I will never forget. I was reluctant to talk about this because I was always raised to keep something like this to yourself.
‘But I am trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren’t misinterpreted. Sharing all of this with the hope that we can all find a way to be more connected. I’d like to do my part to help others experiencing this disease too.’
Meanwhile it took medics 33 years to discover uk comedian Miranda, 52, had been battling Lyme disease, after initially mislabeling her as being agoraphobic – an anxiety disorder characterised by symptoms of anxiety in situations.
Billie is the latest star to open up about their battle with the condition following the likes of Justin Timberlake (pictured) Justin Bieber, Bella Hadid and Miranda Hart
Last month the N*SYNC singer, 44, broke the news after sparking concern over his ‘tired’ stage performances and ‘lip syncing’
Meanwhile it took medics 33 years to discover uk comedian Miranda, 52, had been battling Lyme disease
Justin Bieber said that doctors had diagnosed him with Lyme disease after being at the receiving end of nasty remarks about his appearance
In 2023 model Bella shared insight into her own battle with the disease and took to Instagram with throwback snaps of her treatment
Several of her photos showed her with IVs attached to her arm and what appeared to be ports to make transfusions or blood draws easier
She recalled running out a doctor’s appointment in floods of tears after they told her she was ‘TATT’ – ‘Tired All The Time’ and said: ‘I just don’t know what to do with you.’
The comic finally received the diagnosis in lockdown and believes she contracted Lyme disease when she 14 after battling nasty flu-like symptoms in Virginia.
The star then shared that she was also diagnosed with ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome.
In 2023 model Bella shared insight into her own battle with the disease and took to Instagram with throwback snaps of her treatment.
Several of her photos showed her with IVs attached to her arm and what appeared to be ports to make transfusions or blood draws easier.
One image featured a nurse appearing to draw some blood from Bella’s arm as she sat on a sofa covered up in blankets, a baggy sweater and a yellow toque.
So why does it seem like so many of the rich and famous are being diagnosed with it?
Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious diseases from the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline there could be some factors that make celebrities more vulnerable to Lyme disease.
He said the stars’ increased leisure time and typically greater access to the wilder outdoor areas where ticks reside, than normal people, could simply make it a numbers game.
‘If there is a rich and famous or class bias in this, it’s probably because they spend more time walking around in wooded parkland, more money to go out to those areas, or have big homes with these sorts of places,’ Professor Hunter added.
The fact that celebrities are more likely to live in the US, where Lyme disease is more famously prevalent, could be another factor.
‘As you’re walking along the ticks jump on your legs and crawl their way up…have a blood feast and give you Lyme disease,’ he said.
‘If you go walking in these sorts of places the best thing to do is check, when you get home, that you don’t have any ticks on you and if you have remove them safely.’
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