TV host reveals ‘horrible’ health condition that leaves her ‘unable to move’
TV PRESENTER Petrie Hosken has opened up about her secret health battle that leaves her ‘unable to move’.
The fan-favourite Talk star – who presents weeknights from 10pm – revealed to viewers she has multiple sclerosis.
Petrie opened up on her health while discussing the topic of chronic fatigue.
She said: “The reason I know about chronic fatigue and the effect that it can have on your life, you’ve often heard me mention about my health that I have autoimmune issues.
“The truth is that I have multiple sclerosis and I’m very private about it, I’ve never talked about it.
“So I have MS and part of that is fundamentally this chronic fatigue.”
Petrie told fans she’s often told she’s ‘just tired’ and people – including friends – don’t take her condition seriously.
The mum-of-one continued: “They’ve got absolutely no idea and it can hit me at any point and when it does I literally cannot move. I understand chronic fatigue more than I would like to, right.
“And I just thought about it and I thought I can’t ask you to call me and tell me, I can’t say that I know about this without telling you why I know about this.
“So I do, trust me, I understand completely what it’s like and I also understand that people don’t take it seriously. I mean if I’m having a relapse or I’m in one of these processes and I’m supposed to be at a party or I’m supposed to be somewhere and I call it off because I’m tired, people just think I’m being lazy or can’t be bothered to turn up.
“And it can really really separate your friends from those who really understand what it is to go through chronic fatigue.
“So I’m being honest with you about it and it’s the first time I’ve told you because I can’t have a conversation with you about this without being honest.”
Petrie also said the condition has resulted in her losing friends since she began suffering with the illness.
She concluded: “I want people to learn. I want people to understand what it’s like for the 1.3 million and that is that is nowhere near the true number of people who live with chronic fatigue or people who live with people with chronic fatigue.”
Talk is available on Freeview, YouTube and Smart TVs.
MS symptoms and facts
Symptoms
- Fatigue
- Vision problems
- Numbness and tingling
- Muscle spasms, stiffness and weakness
- Mobility problems
- Pain
- Problems with thinking, learning and planning
- Depression and anxiety
- Sexual problems
- Bladder problems
- Bowel problems
- Speech and swallowing difficulties
MS Types
- Relapsing-remitting MS – where people have distinct attacks of symptoms which come and go. Around 85 per cent of people have this type
- Primary progressive MS – this type affects about 10-15 per cent of those diagnosed (generally those diagnosed in their 50s) and it means that the condition continues to get progressively worse
- Secondary progressive MS – neurologists generally agree that this is a “sustained build-up of disability, independent of any relapses” according to MS Society
How it is treated
There is currently no cure for MS, but the symptoms can be treated with medications and other treatments.
Doctors have revealed a stem cell transplant could be a breakthrough development for those with MS.
An international trial showed it was possible to improve symptoms by wiping out the patient’s immune system using cancer drugs, then rebooting it with a stem cell transplant.
The results were released at the annual European Society for Bone and Marrow Transplantation in Lisbon.
Currently, the typical treatment type depends on the specific symptoms and difficulties faced by the individual affected.
It can include:
- treating relapses of MS symptoms (with steroid medication)
- treating specific MS symptoms
- treatment to reduce the number of relapses (disease-modifying therapies)
For more information about specific treatments and support, visit the NHS website.