Celebrities are under the constant radar and are often trolled for anything and everything they do. This is the reason why a few celebrities don’t want to open up about their lives and want to keep it strictly private. But when it comes to talking about health issues, it is important for celebs to talk about their struggle with health as it creates awareness among millions of their fans.
In 2022 several stars opened up about their health. From Varun Dhawan to Samantha Ruth Prabhu, celebs not only came forward and spoke about their health and illness but also became an inspiration for many to brave their health scare positively.
1. Varun Dhawan
Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan revealed last month in an interview that he has been battling against vestibular hypofunction, which is a balance disorder causing hearing issues. The actor said that while filming ‘Jug Jugg Jeeyo,’ he overexerted himself which led to this condition. After the revelation, fans showered him with tremendous love and support and he gave an update regarding his health later too in a tweet saying he has made lifestyle changes in order to tackle the disease.
2. Samantha Ruth Prabhu
In October 2022, Samantha Ruth Prabhu shared through Instagram that she has been battling Myositis. It is a rare auto-immune condition that causes the weakening of the muscles, making them painful. Prabhu posted a picture taking an IV drip and further penned down a heart-wrenching note explaining her condition, explaining that she is still struggling with accepting “this vulnerability.”
3. Debina Bonnerjee
Popular Indian television actress Debina Bonnerjee revealed before the birth of her second baby in November that she was diagnosed with endometriosis, which caused problems with conceiving a child naturally. She tried every possible treatment from acupuncture to allopathic medicine, but the actress revealed how societal pressure also turned out to play an extremely significant part in her journey. However, with a strong support group and consistent treatments, Debina and her husband Gurmeet became parents to two daughters this year.
4. Fatima Sana Shaikh
November is recognised as Epilepsy Awareness Month, and Fatima Sana Shaikh took to Instagram to reveal and raise awareness about how she has been battling epilepsy. For those who are unaware of what epilepsy is and what happens when someone has it - epilepsy is a neurological disorder of the central nervous system, where brain activity becomes abnormal causing seizures or ‘unusual behaviour.’ The actress revealed that she found out about suffering from epilepsy while training for ‘Dangal.’ After staying in denial for the first few years, she has embraced it as a part of her life now and learnt to live and work around it.
5. Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia
The 'Bigg Boss 16' contestant opened up about her struggles with mental health on national television earlier this year. In a one-to-one conversation with Bigg Boss, Ahluwalia talked about the difficulties she is facing because of anxiety and depression on the show, like feeling claustrophobic and not being able to sleep because of exhaustion. Her mother also spoke about her daughter’s mental health in an interview with ETimes, revealing that Nimrit suffered from mental health issues and chronic fatigue while playing the lead in ‘Choti Sarrdaarni,’ and has since been put on medication. Despite these hardships, Nimrit bounced back stronger and along with giving her best to the show, is continuing to compete in Bigg Boss.
6. Niti Taylor
While participating in 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 10', 'Ishqbaaz' actress Niti Taylor revealed that as a kid, she had a hole in her heart and she was not allowed to do many things including dance as it could have adverse effects on her health. She said: "As a kid, I had a hole in my heart and there are many things that I was not allowed to do including dance because it could jeopardise my health. I couldn't go to amusement parks or take flights or do anything remotely adventurous."
7. Justin Bieber
The Canadian singer-songwriter shared earlier this year that he has a condition called Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare type of viral infection. Some of the symptoms of this syndrome include paralysis of the facial nerve and a painful rash in the ear. Bieber took a break from touring after performing at the Rock in Rio music festival in September, where post-performing he realised that exhaustion overtook him and his health should be the priority for now.
8. Celine Dion
The ‘My Heart Will Go On’ hitmaker announced the postponement of her tour till 2024 because she is suffering from a rare neurological disorder called ‘Stiff Person syndrome.’ There is still further research being done on the causes, treatments and symptoms of this syndrome but Dion revealed in an emotionally-charged Instagram video that it has been making her muscles spasm uncontrollably. She further added that the spasms have been affecting every aspect of her daily life, even restraining her from performing activities like walking and using vocal cords to sing. The singer signed off in tears by saying that she had no other option than to focus on her health and expressed gratitude to fans for their constant support.
9. Bruce Willis
The Willis family announced earlier this year that Bruce, who is diagnosed with aphasia, will be retiring from acting due to the disorder. Aphasia is a language disorder, caused by damage to areas of the brain which are responsible for expression and comprehension, hence prohibiting the person from carrying out cognitive abilities and most importantly impacting the ability to speak. Unfortunately, there has been no cure discovered for aphasia yet but there are traditional treatments like speech-language therapy. Along with the actor’s fans showering him with love and support, Willis’s family is cherishing every moment with him and praying for a miracle as the actor’s mental abilities continue to deteriorate.
10. Khloé Kardashian
If you have been wondering why Khloé has been wearing a bandage on the left side of her face for the last few months, it's because she had melanoma and underwent surgery to get a tumour removed from her face. After the cancer scare, Kardashian has been dedicated to taking precautions and highlighting its importance, even if it's a compromise to her fashion. She told fans that the recovery is going very well and she gets laser treatments to help with that.