Latest news with #MelissaSuffield
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Trolls said I was a liar on Ozempic when I dropped 6 dress sizes, I wouldn't wish truth on worst enemy, says Enders star
'I would go days not even being able to lift a fork to my face, let alone eat something' WEIGHTY TRUTH Trolls said I was a liar on Ozempic when I dropped 6 dress sizes, I wouldn't wish truth on worst enemy, says Enders star EASTENDERS actress turned body-confidence influencer Melissa Suffield on why hurtful claims that her dramatic weight loss was down to diet drugs cut her deep. Having built a vast social media following on the back of an empowering body-confidence message, when Melissa Suffield started losing weight, she faced a bitter backlash. Advertisement 4 EastEnders star turned body-confidence influencer Melissa Suffield on why hurtful claims that her dramatic weight loss was down to Ozempic Credit: MELISSA SUFFIELD 4 The actress with partner Robert and their son River Credit: INSTAGRAM Many saw her noticeably slimmer frame as a betrayal of everything she stood for, and they informed her she'd 'lost her values'. As the former soap star dropped from a dress size 14-16 to an eight (sometimes even a six), others accused her of being on weight-loss injection Ozempic – an insult to someone who had fought so hard against society's beauty standards. The truth was that Melissa, who found fame more than 20 years ago playing EastEnders' Lucy Beale, was seriously ill. She was suffering from a little-known chronic condition called SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), which has made her life a living hell for the last 20 months. Advertisement The effects have been devastating. Symptoms of the condition include abdominal pain, bloating and changes in bowel movements. As well as rapid weight loss caused by her symptoms, Melissa's hair fell out and her mental health plummeted. She's also been sapped of energy, which has left her struggling to care for her five-year-old son River. It's hit her financially, too, as she's forked out thousands of pounds privately to get the answers the NHS couldn't give her. Advertisement 'I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy,' she says. 'It's so consuming and relentless, because if it's not the nausea, it's the brain fog and crushing fatigue. 'People who have suggested I'm on weight-loss injections and then telling me I'm lying – I'd be happy to show them my bank statements proving that I've spent £15,000 on investigations into what's wrong.' Former EastEnders star has had '40 doctors appointments' and spent 'over five figures' amid gruelling health condition Although Melissa, 32, recognises the potential health benefits of drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro in certain circumstances, having been through such misery with her digestive system lately, she can't get her head round why anyone who wasn't severely overweight would contemplate turning to the jabs. 'I can't fathom it. There will be situations where the benefits outweigh the risk. But there are so many people who are nowhere near that point, who just want to lose a few pounds, and that is such a bleak state of affairs.' Advertisement 'We seem to have fallen into a place where body positivity is dead' She adds: 'Now that I've witnessed first-hand the fragility of the digestive system, I know it's not to be messed with. You're playing with fire, if you bugger one bit up, the rest collapses.' Melissa, who has grown an audience of more than 187,000 followers on Instagram as @ says she's lost 'a lot of followers' over the last year – people who claim they no longer relate to her. She admits she's now worried about her future as a content creator, considering her personal brand has been built on the back of curves and loving the skin you're in. 'It's been nerve-wracking, 100%. I can't work for some of the brands I was working with on a regular basis. My boobs have shrunk and I don't fit the bras I was [promoting] so I'm losing income, too.' Advertisement The weight loss has also thrown up some personal conflict for Melissa, which she's still working through. 'When I first started losing weight, I'd look in the mirror and go: 'I look amazing!' and I'd have to stop myself, because that's what society wants – for me to be happy with a smaller body. And actually, I wasn't happy. I felt dreadful. 4 Melissa's illness led to a dramatic loss in weight 'I honestly feel like I'm afforded more respect now that I'm smaller, which is also depressing but not unsurprising, because we seem to have fallen into a place where body positivity is dead. We've gone backwards and I don't like being a part of that.' Advertisement Melissa's ordeal began shortly before Christmas 2023, when both she and River fell ill with a gastric bug on the same day. While River bounced back, Melissa showed no sign of a recovery and made an appointment with her GP as soon as the surgery re-opened. 'The doctor put me on anti-nausea medication and gave me a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), which reduces acid in the stomach. I have since found out that chronic use of PPIs can cause SIBO, so rather than getting to the root of my problem, I was exacerbating it.' Over the next few months, Melissa visited the GP as frequently as four times a week. Advertisement Her partner Robert, 43, works away as a cruise director, and the long spells of solo parenting were becoming increasingly gruelling. An ultrasound of Melissa's abdomen showed nothing wrong, and neither did an upper endoscopy, so after three months, she paid for a private gut health test, which reported an elevated level of methane. Thanks to her meticulous research, Melissa knew this indicated that it might be worth doing a SIBO test, which was positive. Since her diagnosis, Melissa has had to fight for treatment – she has amassed an encyclopaedic knowledge of her condition and is currently under the care of an NHS gastroenterologist, plus a team of private experts, as she works to find a solution. Advertisement 'My nutritional therapist probably has more pictures of my poo in her phone than she's had hot meals! But this is all money and I don't have a bottomless pit. 'I need to be killing the bacteria and healing my gut faster than they can grow back. At the moment, I'm in the middle of a round of antimicrobials, which are like natural antibiotics, and I'm hoping for the best.' 'I would go days not even being able to lift a fork to my face, let alone eat something' Treatment is very much trial and error, and Melissa says that in the meantime her life is in limbo. 'It's very isolating to have a gut condition and have to plan your whole life around it. I've felt guilt because I can't go for long walks to the park with River, we have to stay close to home in case I get tired or sick.' Advertisement Melissa is keen to use her platform to raise awareness and urges anyone with unexplained digestive issues to at least investigate the possibility of SIBO. 'I want to get to a place where everyone has at least heard of it and knows to ask for a test. The more people talk about it, the more the NHS is going to have to listen and learn.' 4 Back in her EastEnders days, when she played Lucy Beale Credit: EASTENDERS She says she's hopeful of leading a normal life again, or at least a new normal she can be happy with. Advertisement 'At the moment, I'm maintaining weight, it's not falling off me like last year, when I'd go days not even being able to lift a fork to my face, let alone eat something. 'I probably won't ever eat gluten or dairy again, but I've made my peace with that. 'I also think there's likely to be quite a lot of trauma to work through once I'm out the other side. But I'm a pretty pragmatic lady and so I'm ready for that.'
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Trolls said I was a liar on Ozempic when I dropped 6 dress sizes, I wouldn't wish truth on worst enemy, says Enders star
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EASTENDERS actress turned body-confidence influencer Melissa Suffield on why hurtful claims that her dramatic weight loss was down to diet drugs cut her deep. Having built a vast social media following on the back of an empowering body-confidence message, when Melissa Suffield started losing weight, she faced a bitter backlash. 4 EastEnders star turned body-confidence influencer Melissa Suffield on why hurtful claims that her dramatic weight loss was down to Ozempic Credit: MELISSA SUFFIELD 4 The actress with partner Robert and their son River Credit: INSTAGRAM Many saw her noticeably slimmer frame as a betrayal of everything she stood for, and they informed her she'd 'lost her values'. As the former soap star dropped from a dress size 14-16 to an eight (sometimes even a six), others accused her of being on weight-loss injection Ozempic – an insult to someone who had fought so hard against society's beauty standards. The truth was that Melissa, who found fame more than 20 years ago playing EastEnders' Lucy Beale, was seriously ill. She was suffering from a little-known chronic condition called SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), which has made her life a living hell for the last 20 months. The effects have been devastating. Symptoms of the condition include abdominal pain, bloating and changes in bowel movements. As well as rapid weight loss caused by her symptoms, Melissa's hair fell out and her mental health plummeted. She's also been sapped of energy, which has left her struggling to care for her five-year-old son River. It's hit her financially, too, as she's forked out thousands of pounds privately to get the answers the NHS couldn't give her. 'I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy,' she says. 'It's so consuming and relentless, because if it's not the nausea, it's the brain fog and crushing fatigue. 'People who have suggested I'm on weight-loss injections and then telling me I'm lying – I'd be happy to show them my bank statements proving that I've spent £15,000 on investigations into what's wrong.' Former EastEnders star has had '40 doctors appointments' and spent 'over five figures' amid gruelling health condition Although Melissa, 32, recognises the potential health benefits of drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro in certain circumstances, having been through such misery with her digestive system lately, she can't get her head round why anyone who wasn't severely overweight would contemplate turning to the jabs. 'I can't fathom it. There will be situations where the benefits outweigh the risk. But there are so many people who are nowhere near that point, who just want to lose a few pounds, and that is such a bleak state of affairs.' 'We seem to have fallen into a place where body positivity is dead' She adds: 'Now that I've witnessed first-hand the fragility of the digestive system, I know it's not to be messed with. You're playing with fire, if you bugger one bit up, the rest collapses.' Melissa, who has grown an audience of more than 187,000 followers on Instagram as @ says she's lost 'a lot of followers' over the last year – people who claim they no longer relate to her. She admits she's now worried about her future as a content creator, considering her personal brand has been built on the back of curves and loving the skin you're in. 'It's been nerve-wracking, 100%. I can't work for some of the brands I was working with on a regular basis. My boobs have shrunk and I don't fit the bras I was [promoting] so I'm losing income, too.' The weight loss has also thrown up some personal conflict for Melissa, which she's still working through. 'When I first started losing weight, I'd look in the mirror and go: 'I look amazing!' and I'd have to stop myself, because that's what society wants – for me to be happy with a smaller body. And actually, I wasn't happy. I felt dreadful. 4 Melissa's illness led to a dramatic loss in weight 'I honestly feel like I'm afforded more respect now that I'm smaller, which is also depressing but not unsurprising, because we seem to have fallen into a place where body positivity is dead. We've gone backwards and I don't like being a part of that.' Melissa's ordeal began shortly before Christmas 2023, when both she and River fell ill with a gastric bug on the same day. While River bounced back, Melissa showed no sign of a recovery and made an appointment with her GP as soon as the surgery re-opened. 'The doctor put me on anti-nausea medication and gave me a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), which reduces acid in the stomach. I have since found out that chronic use of PPIs can cause SIBO, so rather than getting to the root of my problem, I was exacerbating it.' Over the next few months, Melissa visited the GP as frequently as four times a week. Her partner Robert, 43, works away as a cruise director, and the long spells of solo parenting were becoming increasingly gruelling. An ultrasound of Melissa's abdomen showed nothing wrong, and neither did an upper endoscopy, so after three months, she paid for a private gut health test, which reported an elevated level of methane. Thanks to her meticulous research, Melissa knew this indicated that it might be worth doing a SIBO test, which was positive. Since her diagnosis, Melissa has had to fight for treatment – she has amassed an encyclopaedic knowledge of her condition and is currently under the care of an NHS gastroenterologist, plus a team of private experts, as she works to find a solution. 'My nutritional therapist probably has more pictures of my poo in her phone than she's had hot meals! But this is all money and I don't have a bottomless pit. 'I need to be killing the bacteria and healing my gut faster than they can grow back. At the moment, I'm in the middle of a round of antimicrobials, which are like natural antibiotics, and I'm hoping for the best.' 'I would go days not even being able to lift a fork to my face, let alone eat something' Treatment is very much trial and error, and Melissa says that in the meantime her life is in limbo. 'It's very isolating to have a gut condition and have to plan your whole life around it. I've felt guilt because I can't go for long walks to the park with River, we have to stay close to home in case I get tired or sick.' Melissa is keen to use her platform to raise awareness and urges anyone with unexplained digestive issues to at least investigate the possibility of SIBO. 'I want to get to a place where everyone has at least heard of it and knows to ask for a test. The more people talk about it, the more the NHS is going to have to listen and learn.' 4 Back in her EastEnders days, when she played Lucy Beale Credit: EASTENDERS She says she's hopeful of leading a normal life again, or at least a new normal she can be happy with. 'At the moment, I'm maintaining weight, it's not falling off me like last year, when I'd go days not even being able to lift a fork to my face, let alone eat something. 'I probably won't ever eat gluten or dairy again, but I've made my peace with that. 'I also think there's likely to be quite a lot of trauma to work through once I'm out the other side. But I'm a pretty pragmatic lady and so I'm ready for that.'
The Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Trolls said I was a liar on Ozempic when I dropped 6 dress sizes, I wouldn't wish truth on worst enemy, says Enders star
EASTENDERS actress turned body-confidence influencer Melissa Suffield on why hurtful claims that her dramatic weight loss was down to diet drugs cut her deep. Having built a vast social media following on the back of an empowering body-confidence message, when Melissa Suffield started losing weight, she faced a bitter backlash. 4 Many saw her noticeably slimmer frame as a betrayal of everything she stood for, and they informed her she'd 'lost her values'. As the former soap star dropped from a dress size 14-16 to an eight (sometimes even a six), others accused her of being on weight-loss injection Ozempic – an insult to someone who had fought so hard against society's beauty standards. The truth was that Melissa, who found fame more than 20 years ago playing EastEnders ' Lucy Beale, was seriously ill. She was suffering from a little-known chronic condition called SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), which has made her life a living hell for the last 20 months. The effects have been devastating. Symptoms of the condition include abdominal pain, bloating and changes in bowel movements. As well as rapid weight loss caused by her symptoms, Melissa's hair fell out and her mental health plummeted. She's also been sapped of energy, which has left her struggling to care for her five-year-old son River. It's hit her financially, too, as she's forked out thousands of pounds privately to get the answers the NHS couldn't give her. 'I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy,' she says. 'It's so consuming and relentless, because if it's not the nausea, it's the brain fog and crushing fatigue. 'People who have suggested I'm on weight-loss injections and then telling me I'm lying – I'd be happy to show them my bank statements proving that I've spent £15,000 on investigations into what's wrong.' Former EastEnders star has had '40 doctors appointments' and spent 'over five figures' amid gruelling health condition Although Melissa, 32, recognises the potential health benefits of drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro in certain circumstances, having been through such misery with her digestive system lately, she can't get her head round why anyone who wasn't severely overweight would contemplate turning to the jabs. 'I can't fathom it. There will be situations where the benefits outweigh the risk. But there are so many people who are nowhere near that point, who just want to lose a few pounds, and that is such a bleak state of affairs.' 'We seem to have fallen into a place where body positivity is dead' She adds: 'Now that I've witnessed first-hand the fragility of the digestive system, I know it's not to be messed with. You're playing with fire, if you bugger one bit up, the rest collapses.' Melissa, who has grown an audience of more than 187,000 followers on Instagram as @ says she's lost 'a lot of followers' over the last year – people who claim they no longer relate to her. She admits she's now worried about her future as a content creator, considering her personal brand has been built on the back of curves and loving the skin you're in. 'It's been nerve-wracking, 100%. I can't work for some of the brands I was working with on a regular basis. My boobs have shrunk and I don't fit the bras I was [promoting] so I'm losing income, too.' The weight loss has also thrown up some personal conflict for Melissa, which she's still working through. 'When I first started losing weight, I'd look in the mirror and go: 'I look amazing!' and I'd have to stop myself, because that's what society wants – for me to be happy with a smaller body. And actually, I wasn't happy. I felt dreadful. 'I honestly feel like I'm afforded more respect now that I'm smaller, which is also depressing but not unsurprising, because we seem to have fallen into a place where body positivity is dead. We've gone backwards and I don't like being a part of that.' Melissa's ordeal began shortly before Christmas 2023, when both she and River fell ill with a gastric bug on the same day. While River bounced back, Melissa showed no sign of a recovery and made an appointment with her GP as soon as the surgery re-opened. 'The doctor put me on anti-nausea medication and gave me a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), which reduces acid in the stomach. I have since found out that chronic use of PPIs can cause SIBO, so rather than getting to the root of my problem, I was exacerbating it.' Over the next few months, Melissa visited the GP as frequently as four times a week. Her partner Robert, 43, works away as a cruise director, and the long spells of solo parenting were becoming increasingly gruelling. An ultrasound of Melissa's abdomen showed nothing wrong, and neither did an upper endoscopy, so after three months, she paid for a private gut health test, which reported an elevated level of methane. Thanks to her meticulous research, Melissa knew this indicated that it might be worth doing a SIBO test, which was positive. Since her diagnosis, Melissa has had to fight for treatment – she has amassed an encyclopaedic knowledge of her condition and is currently under the care of an NHS gastroenterologist, plus a team of private experts, as she works to find a solution. 'My nutritional therapist probably has more pictures of my poo in her phone than she's had hot meals! But this is all money and I don't have a bottomless pit. 'I need to be killing the bacteria and healing my gut faster than they can grow back. At the moment, I'm in the middle of a round of antimicrobials, which are like natural antibiotics, and I'm hoping for the best.' 'I would go days not even being able to lift a fork to my face, let alone eat something' Treatment is very much trial and error, and Melissa says that in the meantime her life is in limbo. 'It's very isolating to have a gut condition and have to plan your whole life around it. I've felt guilt because I can't go for long walks to the park with River, we have to stay close to home in case I get tired or sick.' Melissa is keen to use her platform to raise awareness and urges anyone with unexplained digestive issues to at least investigate the possibility of SIBO. 'I want to get to a place where everyone has at least heard of it and knows to ask for a test. The more people talk about it, the more the NHS is going to have to listen and learn.' 4 She says she's hopeful of leading a normal life again, or at least a new normal she can be happy with. 'At the moment, I'm maintaining weight, it's not falling off me like last year, when I'd go days not even being able to lift a fork to my face, let alone eat something. 'I probably won't ever eat gluten or dairy again, but I've made my peace with that. 'I also think there's likely to be quite a lot of trauma to work through once I'm out the other side. But I'm a pretty pragmatic lady and so I'm ready for that.'
North Wales Chronicle
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
BBC EastEnders star with illness talks about hellish flight
An EastEnders star battling a chronic condition has opened up about a "mad" and hellish flight which ruined her lovely holiday. Melissa Suffield, who played the role of Lucy Beale on the BBC soap opera from 2004 until 2010, was previously diagnosed with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) after experiencing "horrible nausea". This has reportedly had a massive impact on her life, making any good days she can spend with friends and family all the more precious. However, she said that a recent flight she took after a holiday undid all the fun and rest she had. A post shared by Melissa Carter- Body Confidence | Mum Style | Bloat Friendly (@ Taking to Instagram, the EastEnders actress said: 'I've been a bit quiet because life has been a LOT. The trip away was so restorative, but honestly, the act of getting home undid it 'The ship didn't make it into the final port of my trip due to very bad weather, but obviously my flight was booked from there! 'So booked a flight home from the next available port very last minute, which was a midnight flight, which was delayed by 2 hours because of weather again, and then the ENTIRE three-hour flight was mad turbulence and lightning out the window, I s*** you not. 'I'm not a nervous flyer, but I was on that flight. 'Honestly, not a fun experience, followed by only 4 hours of sleep and then a three-hour train journey home with River and all my luggage. 'On the list of things I simply do not need in my life, this experience was a high-ranking one.' The BBC star added: 'Not aided by the fact that towards the end of the trip, my symptoms started getting worse. 'I think the combination of not eating anything other than steak and potatoes, as well as the stress of making a new very last-minute plan and the childcare and everything that went along with that is probably what did it. 'Also, my period always makes everything worse - I've actually just had a test arrive that looks at your DNA and hormones to see if I can pinpoint anything I'm missing. 'But anyway, I am home now safe and sound, I have done all the washing, I've got full control over my diet again, and I've got my boy back. But I am feeling rough in a way that I haven't in a while, so l'm focusing all my energy on resting. 'I've got a really busy week next week too, so I've really got to try and get back on top of things quickly tbh. But when your nervous system is frazzled, that time limit way of thinking is completely counterproductive.' According to the Mayo Clinic, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a condition that occurs when there is an "abnormal increase in the overall bacterial population in the small intestine." It added: "Particularly types of bacteria not commonly found in that part of the digestive tract." This is often diagnosed when circumstances like surgery or a disease slow the passage of food and waste products in the digestive tract, creating a "breeding ground" for bacteria. This can often cause diarrhoea, weight loss and malnutrition.
The Sun
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
EastEnders star details nightmare turbulence on flight after travel hell while battling with chronic illness symptoms
EASTENDERS star Melissa Suffield has revealed her nightmare journey home from a family holiday while battling her chronic illness. The actress - who used to play Lucy Beale in the BBC soap - was diagnosed with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) after experiencing "horrible nausea" in 2023. 2 2 And it has had a huge impact in her life - which makes her family holidays and quality time all the more precious. But today she has revealed that she had the journey from hell home - undoing the good the holiday did. Taking to Instagram, Melissa wrote: 'I've been a bit quiet because life has been a LOT. The trip away was so restorative but honestly the act of getting home undid it 'The ship didn't make it into the final port of my trip due to very bad weather, but obviously my flight was booked from there! 'So booked a flight home from the next available port very last minute, which was a midnight flight, which was delayed by 2 hours because of weather again, and then the ENTIRE 3 hour flight was mad turbulence and lightning out the window I s*** you not. 'I'm not a nervous flyer but I was on that flight. 'Honestly, not a fun experience, followed by only 4 hours of sleep and then a 3 hour train journey home with River and all my luggage. 'On the list of things I simply do not need in my life, this experience was a high ranking one.' Melissa added: 'Not aided by the fact that towards the end of the trip, my symptoms started getting worse. 'I think the combination of not eating anything other than steak and potatoes, as well as the stress of making a new very last minute plan and the childcare and everything that went along with that is probably what did it. Former EastEnders star has had '40 doctors appointments' and spent 'over five figures' amid gruelling health condition 'Also my period always makes everything worse- I've actually just had a test arrive that looks at your DNA and hormones to see if I can pin point anything I'm missing. 'But anyway, I am home now safe and sound, I have done all the washing, I've got full control over my diet again, and I've got my boy back. But I am feeling rough in a way that I haven't in a while, so l'm focusing all my energy on resting. What is SIBO? SIBO is also known as Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. Melissa experiences nausea, reflux, constipation, and other symptoms like her hair falling out and suffering from dry skin. According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition occurs "when there is an abnormal increase in the overall bacterial population in the small intestine — particularly types of bacteria not commonly found in that part of the digestive tract." Symptoms are listed as a loss of appetite, abdominal pain, nausea, bloating, an uncomfortable feeling of fullness after eating, diarrhea, unintentional weight loss, and malnutrition. 'I've got a really busy week next week too, so I've really got to try and get back on top of things quickly tbh. But when your nervous system is frazzled, that time limit way of thinking is completely counter productive.'
