20 Celebrities Who Suffer From Diseases

Celebrities seem to have it all: money, career and fans. However, they aren’t perfect. Not only do they preform in front of the entire world, but they also must live their lives in the same spotlight. It’s sometimes hard to forget that these people are also human, and humans aren’t exempt from the hard realities of life. Many celebrities suffer from the same illnesses and diseases that everyday people also do. Here are 20 celebrities who are currently in the middle of a lifetime battle.

Ashley Olsen

Recently, Ashley Olsen admitted that she has been fighting Lyme Disease, an inflammatory disease that causes fatigue, headaches, arthritis, and fever. She was said to have contracted it many years ago from a tick bite, which is how the disease is spread.

Halle Berry

Halle Berry is very open about her battle with diabetes. The way she found out she had the illness was extremely scary. In 1989, Halle Berry was 23-years-old and working on a tv show called Living Dolls. She collapsed on set and went into a diabetic coma for a week. Before this, she had no idea she even had the disease.

Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne is a punk-rock singer that emerged on the scene in the early 2000’s. In 2014, she sustained a tick bite while hiking, which lead to Lyme Disease. The singer reportedly spent five months bedridden in order to recover.

Jack Osbourne

Jack Osbourne is known by most as the son of rocker Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, Sharon. He also appeared on the MTV show, The Osbournes, in the early 2000’s. Jack has since toned down his lifestyle due to both the birth of his son and his own diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.

Miley Cyrus

Even wild child Miley Cyrus isn’t immune to the realities of life. At a young age, she was diagnosed with tachycardia, a condition that causes the heart to beat faster than normal. While she’s said her case isn’t serious, she does worry about her heart while preforming on stage.

Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox was one of the biggest stars in the 1980’s. He snagged the lead roles in films like the Back to the Future trilogy and Teen Wolf. The height of his career was cut short when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, which causes the nerves in the body to degenerate. While he still acts on occasion, he spends most of his time advocating for the disease.

Pamela Anderson

Pamela Anderson was considered to be a sex symbol in the 1990’s. Her role on Baywatch as a lifeguard launched her career. In 2002, she admitted to having Hepatitis C. Anderson says she contracted the illness from sharing a tattoo needle with her then-husband Tommy Lee. She was unaware that he had the disease.

Cher

Cher is one singer whose career has spanned over many generations. Recently, the singer stated that she has Epstein-Barr Virus, which can cause mononucleosis. Her case is chronic and forced her to take 5 years off at one point in time.

Toni Braxton

Toni Braxton is an R&B singer who had her biggest success in the 1990’s with hits like “Un-Break My Heart” and “You’re Makin’ Me High”. The singer was diagnosed with lupus, a disease in which your immune system attacks good cells in your body. Her case is heredity; her brother also has Lupus and their uncle passed away from it.

Nick Jonas

Nick Jonas has never let his diabetes get in the way of his career. At the age of thirteen, he was diagnosed yet continued to preform on Broadway before starting The Jonas Brothers. Nick is a large advocate for the disease.

Kristin Chenoweth

Kristen Chenoweth is probably most known for her work on Broadway, though she has appeared in film and on television. The actress has stated that she suffers from Meniere’s Disease which affects the inner ear and causes severe dizziness and hearing loss.

Jimmy Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel is one of the top late night talk show hosts today. Many fans are unaware that he suffers from a mild form of narcolepsy, a disorder in which people fall asleep at the most inopprotune times.

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg is one of the greatest actresses of all time. She has appeared in hundreds of films and television shows and is currently a host on The View. Whoopi also suffers from migraines that are sometimes so bad she cannot work.

Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez is a singer/actress that rose to fame on the Disney Channel. While she has yet to confirm this, her family has stated at she suffers from lupus. The news broke when she took time off from her tour to enter a rehab facility. Many media outlets speculated that drugs and alcohol were behind this, but her family claims she went to take control over her disease.

Katie Leclerc

Katie Leclerc is best known for playing Daphne on Switched at Birth. While Katie isn’t deaf in real life, she does suffer from Meinere’s Disease, which causes profound hearing loss. It appears to be hereditary for her as older sister and father both have it.

Sia

Sia is one musician that has gone under the radar for many years. She wrote hit songs for singers all over the world before releasing her own hits “Titanium” and “Chandelier“. Sia also suffers from Graves Disease, which causes the thyroid to overproduce hormones. It has apparently changed the appearance of the singer, which is why we never see her face when preforming.

Venus Williams

Venus Williams and her sister Serena are two of the best female athletes in tennis. In 2011, Venus was diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome. With this disorder, the white blood cells attack the salivary glands and the tear ducts, causing dry mouth and eyes.

Elizabeth Hasselbeck

Elizabeth Hasselbeck was a memorable contestant on Survivor and soon became a co-host on The View. She was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease, a disease in which the body cannot process gluten in foods. She has even released a cookbook of gluten-free recipes.

Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne’s distinct voice can be heard on music track in nearly every genre. In 2013, he made headlines when he was hospitalized for suffering three seizures in a row. This event caused Lil Wayne to announce that he has epilepsy and was diagnosed at a young age. He says that most of his seizures are brought on by stress.

Lisa Bentley

Lisa Bentley is one of Canada’s best triathletes. She has competed in 11 Ironman races and came in 3rd place during the World Championship. Many people would be surprised to know that she suffered from Cystic Fibrosis, a disease that causes mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive tract. This disease is often deadly, with most ending up on lung transplant waiting lists.