Inside Gloria Hunniford's concerning health update after sudden Celebrity Bake Off exit
Great Celebrity Bake Off star, Gloria Hunniford, has opened up about the symptom that led her to discover she was pre-diabetic in a candid chat. The 85-year-old star, who is a familiar face on the Loose Women panel, previously experienced a period of stress-induced weight loss but has happily reported that her "blood sugars are great" now.
During an intimate chat on the Dr Hilary Show with Hilary Jones, Gloria recalled the process through which her pre-diabetes was diagnosed, tracing it back to an episode after the passing of her husband Stephen Way last year, who she was married to for 25 years. Recounting her story, Gloria disclosed: "It was diagnosed because I had a bit of blood in my pee and I went to the doctor and he said, 'I've got you now', because they obviously tested it out and there was sugar in the urine.
"Ironically, since Stephen passed, I have lost a lot of weight subconsciously. I wasn't trying to, with the worry of it, with the anxiety of it, I lost a lot of weight. Since I lost the weight, accidentally if you like, my levels have been very good. I get my bloods checked every so often for various reasons, and so every time the GP will say, 'Your blood sugars are great' and it's ironic that that way round has helped the pre-diabetes."
Although managing her health with diet and medicine, Gloria confesses: "I don't think about it too much, I should probably think about it more."
Dr Hilary then highlighted a striking fact - while 4.6 million Britons have a confirmed diabetes diagnosis, an even larger group remains undiagnosed.
The health professional explained: "It was discovered as an incidental finding, obviously you didn't have any symptoms, because people don't.
"And the astonishing fact is that there are 4.6 million people living with diagnosed diabetes, but 6.4 million who have the condition that you've got with elevated levels of blood sugar, who won't know about it, and trying to control it with lifestyle measures. That's the important thing because it raises the risk of true type 2 diabetes."
The NHS categorises pre-diabetes as blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to constitute diabetes, otherwise known as non-diabetic hyperglycaemia.
To control and keep an eye on this condition and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, lifestyle alterations are recommended, along with an annual check-up for those identified with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia.
The NHS underlines the importance of early diagnosis due to the serious risk of progression if left unchecked.
Anyone exhibiting primary symptoms such as intense thirst, frequent urination (especially at night), exhaustion, unexplained weight loss, genital itching or recurring thrush, and blurred vision - to consult their GP promptly.
While type 1 diabetes can develop rapidly, over mere weeks or even days, type 2 diabetes can be be harder to distinguish and can often go unnoticed for years, as the symptoms can be subtle or non-existent.
Gloria's health confession comes after she was forced to suddenly quit Celebrity Bake off earlier this month where she had been a part of the Stand Up to Cancer special episode for Channel 4.
Host Alison Hammond announced to viewers that Gloria had to leave the show after fans noticed her absence, stating that she was "not feeling very well".
It was later revealed that the 85-year-old suffered a 'terrible' backstage fall and had to be hospitalised after her accident.
In an Instagram post to explain her absence, she said: "Hi everybody, I just wanted to say how much I really, really enjoyed being on Bake Off. It was fun, it was interesting meeting Paul, it was a great experience - and, not having baked before, it actually taught me quite a lot.
"It was a real shame that I missed being there for the showstopper because, unfortunately, I had a fall and ended up in hospital for some screening - but I was fine."
She continued: "And I wanted to say as well that I am a great, great supporter not only of the programme, which I adore, but also of Stand Up to Cancer because not only, sadly, did I lose my gorgeous daughter to cancer but last year, very sadly as well, I lost my husband Stephen.
"So cancer is very foremost in our family in terms of support. And I think that the programme, and what it does through the programme, is absolutely brilliant."
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