Latest news with #healthbattle
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Netflix star reveals secret health battle which was written into hit show
A cast member of the popular Netflix show Sirens is opening up about a private health battle they dealt with during a time cameras rolled on the streaming hit. Laura Weedman, 56, who portrays the role of chef Patrice on the drama, was diagnosed with Bell's palsy last summer. Speaking with The Huffington Post on Tuesday, the actress detailed her health battle, and how she dealt with it on a professional level. 'The idea of sitting out and waiting for it to get better was just not an option,' Weedman told the outlet. Weedman said that she opened up to the shows creator Molly Smith Metzler and director Quyen Tran about the medical situation and how they would move forward with it collectively. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The Mayo Clinic describes Bell's palsy as 'a condition that causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face' which 'makes half of the face appear to droop.' According to the clinic, 'Smiles are one-sided, and the eye on the affected side is hard to close.' While it is not immediately clear what causes the confliction, the clinic said, 'experts think it's caused by swelling and irritation of the nerve that controls the muscles on one side of the face. Weedman, who has been in the business more than 30 years, told the publication she 'wanted to talk to' the creator-showrunner and director about the issue so she 'wouldn't be stressed' during the remainder of a vacation the cast was on in between filming episodes. Weedman - whose small screen credits include regular roles on Abbott Elementary and Hacks - said she had past had a mild case of the condition when she gave birth to her son, Leo, now 15. Metzler said that she, cast and crew 'didn't even wanna conceive of the show without' Weedman, who has also made appearances on Arrested Development, Euphoria and Will & Grace. Metzler added, 'At that point, I had fallen in love with Lauren like everyone else had, I just felt awful that she was going through something like that. 'We didn't even wanna conceive of the show without her in it.' Weedman praised Metzler's kindness in adapting the script to accommodate her health. 'It was really hard for me to think that I mattered,' said Weedman, whose character was scripted the line, 'Every summer, this happens; the stress of this job, my Bell's palsy is back.' The cast of the Netflix series, which began streaming May 22, also includes Julianne Moore as Michaela Kell; Kevin Bacon as Peter Kell; Meghann Fahy as Devon DeWitt; Milly Alcock as Simone DeWitt. Rounding out the cast are Glenn Howerton as Ethan Corbin; Bill Camp as Bruce DeWitt; and Felix Solis as Jose. The Mayo Clinic said Bell's palsy 'could be caused by a reaction that occurs after a viral infection' and 'can occur at any age.' The clinic said that symptoms subsiding varies by the patient. 'Symptoms usually start to improve within a few weeks, with complete recovery in about six months, the clinic said. 'A small number of people continue to have some Bell's palsy symptoms for life. Rarely, Bell's palsy occurs more than once.'
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Legendary Australian musician shares heartbreaking details about his cancer battle
Legendary Australian musician Bob 'Bongo' Starkie has revealed heartbreaking details about his cancer battle. The 72-year-old, who shot to fame as a member of chart-topping Melbourne band Skyhooks in the 1970s, was diagnosed with aggressive leukemia. The shock news came as Bob's band were celebrating their seminal album Living In the 70's re-entering the ARIA top ten in January. And now Bongo is set to return to the stage to perform after cancelling his scheduled gigs in February. This is despite battling what he calls 'side health issues', including bleeding on the brain and leg clots. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop On top of receiving cancer therapy, Bob also had to endure an eye operation and a bout of sepsis which led to seven days in intensive care. In an interview with the Herald Sun, the famed guitarist paid tribute to fans who donated a whopping $25,000 via GoFundMe to help him finance his medical care. 'It has been amazing because all these people have anonymously donated all this dough,' Bob said. 'It has taken a bit of the stress and pressure off and allowed me to get rid of my credit cards and reduce my debt and just get on with things.' Bob hit the stage on Saturday for the Legends of Countdown show on the Gold Coast. Meanwhile, Indiana, the musician's daughter, who set up Bob's GoFundMe page described her father's recent health journey as 'pretty scary'. She told the publication that while her dad was hospitalised for weeks he got through the experience by watching Married at First Sight and the ABCs Hard Quiz. 'He needed to have a laugh, so we would watch Hard Quiz and MAFS with him', she said. It comes after Bob took to Facebook in March to reveal that his prognosis was good. He shared a photo that showed him standing wth his daughter Indiana and fellow Aussie music legend Wilbur Wilde. Captioning the happy snap, Bob was pleased to reveal that he is currently in remission. 'I'm heading home from hospital,' Bob wrote in the post. 'It's been six weeks and a bit of a wild ride. But my blood counts are good and the Leukemia is in remission. Still a way to go.' Skyhooks exploded onto the Aussie pop charts with their seminal 1974 debut album Living In The 70's. The band were known for their flamboyant costumes and makeup and their lyrics which often referenced Australian places and culture. Never a band that was afraid to court controversy, six of the album's ten tracks were banned from radio due to questionable lyric content. Despite this, the track You only Like Me Cos I'm Good In Bed was the first song played by your station Double J (later Triple J) when it debuted in January 1975. The album went on to spend 16 weeks at the top of the Australian charts, becoming the highest-selling album by a home grown act at the time. In 2011, the iconic album was added to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Sounds of Australia registry. The band went on to release four more studio albums, including 1975's Ego Is Not A Dirty Word and 1976's Straight in A Gay Gay World. Bob's diagnosis comes after his brother Peter, also a member of Skyhooks, died in 2020 after falling off a ladder at his home in Victoria.
The Sun
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Boyband star reveals he's undergoing chemotherapy after rare health diagnosis as he shares hospital snap
BOYBAND star Andy Brown has shared a picture from his hospital bed while undergoing chemotherapy. The Lawson singer has told fans he has been living with a rare blood disorder for the last 10 years and needs a stem cell transplant. 5 5 If he doesn't have the transplant, Andy - who previously had a brain tumour removed - says there is "a very high chance" he could develop leukaemia. Thankfully, the star has found a stem cell match and has beem undergoing a course of chemotherapy ahead of his transplant. Andy shared the news of his current health battle on Instagram alongside a black and white snap of himself in hospital. The dad-of-two is wearing a dressing gown in the picture and is giving a brave thumbs up to the camera, despite admitting he is struggling with the gruelling treatment. Andy wrote on Instagram: "Day 4 of chemo done ✅ "It's stepped up big time the last couple of days, not feeling the best at the moment, but there's just no way round it. Three more days to go, then the new stem cells go in next Tuesday! "Staying positive as much as I can, but I won't pretend it's easy. "I've spent years being so mindful of what I put into my body, ten years sober, clean eating, all of it. "So feeling what this chemo is doing hits hard. But I know it's part of the fight. It's about accepting it, getting through it, and coming back stronger." Andy was the lead vocalist of pop/ rock band Lawson, who achieved mainstream fame in 2012 with their debut album Chapman Square. The group - also made up of Ryan Fletcher, Joel Peat and Adam Pitts -achieved five top 10 hits in the UK charts. The band was named after David Lawson, a consultant neurosurgeon at The Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Liverpool. Andy credits Mr Lawson for saving his life in 2007 following 17 hours of brain surgery to remove acoustic neuroma – a non-cancerous brain tumour which grows on the nerve in the inner ear. These days, Andy has turned his back on showbiz and works as a successful photographer. He opened up about his blood disorder to fans in an emotive Instagram post last week. Despite usually being private, Andy said he wanted to speak about his condition in case it helped just one person. "For the past 10 years, I've been living with a rare blood disorder," Andy said. 'Up to now, it hadn't massively affected my day to day life, apart from frequent blood tests and the occasional infection, but as things stand, if it's not treated, I have a very high chance of developing Leukaemia." Andy went on to explain how, after "lots of discussions" with haematology experts at King's College Hospital in London, a stem cell transplant was decided as the best course of action. He continued: "I have a 100% matching donor. "I find it so overwhelming that a total stranger, someone I've never met, is willing to give up their cells and blood to save my life. That's just incredible. "With everything awful going on in the world, it's easy to lose faith in people, but then you see things like this, people willing to do something so selfless, and it restores your hope. "Not everyone is lucky enough to find a match though. That's why I really want to spread awareness about stem cell donation. If more people sign up to the donor register, more lives can be saved." Referring to his brain operation, Andy added: "If you've followed me for a while, you'll know I've had a few health scares in my life. "I don't take any of my second chances for granted. "The road ahead won't be easy, recovery is going to take time, and I'm sure there'll be tough moments, but I'm staying as positive as I can. I'm beyond grateful to have this opportunity and a real shot at a full recovery." 5 5 5
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Grant Denyer's wife Chezzi shares heartfelt tribute to her husband taken right before gruelling 8 hour surgery
Chezzi Denyer has paid a heartfelt tribute to her husband for being her sense of 'calm' amid the storm of recovery from a lengthy seven and a half hour surgery. The former Sunrise producer, 43, who is married to TV presenter Grant Denyer, 47, took to Instagram on Monday to tell fans her partner is nursing her back to health following a surgery to address a post-pregnancy hernia. Chezzi recently opened up about her four-year health battle after a post-pregnancy hernia saw her struggle with nerve damage, unimaginable back pain and a lack of core strength. In the touching post, Chezzi shared a selfie taken with her husband of 15 years right before she went under the knife. She and Grant wore matching black sweaters in the picture as she rested her head on his shoulder and shared a sweet smile with him. 'My best friend. My soul mate. And at the moment, my chief nurse - Grant Denyer. Thank you x,' she captioned the touching message. 'This pic[ture] was taken when I was about to head in for surgery and I was really nervous,' Chezzi shared. 'Grant is exceptional at helping people stay calm... and that's exactly what he was doing here for me,' she wrote. 'I just stumbled on the photo, and paused for a minute to reflect and thought I'd post it to say thank you. 'I get my drains out today and will again lean on Grant's calming energy.' Chezzi went in for surgery two weeks ago, and shared the news with her fans last Thursday. In her post on May 15, Chezzi shared pictures of her hospital stay, along with a caption detailing her turbulent health battle. 'Four years ago, after the arrival of my beautiful little Sunday, I didn't rest as I should have after my caesarean,' she started the post. 'Pushing myself too soon caused a hernia in my abdominal wall and left me with a 2cm abdominal separation from top to bottom,' an injury which stripped away her core strength and pelvic floor control. In the post, Chezzi shared pictures of her hospital stay with a caption detailing her health battle over the past few years The result was layers of scar tissue around her third C-section scar and nerve damage that seemed impossible to fix. But despite the pain, the mother-of-three carried on, maxing herself out with family duties and not taking time to rest. 'When Sunday was in her full body cast, I carried her 20+ kilo little body around for hours on end, rocking her day in and day out for months. 'My instinct to mother her overrode my own physical pain, and I did more damage. The hernia opened up again, and a new one formed lower down.' Years of pain led Chezzi to take the needed steps to fix the problem, which would include a demanding and lengthy surgery, as well as a six-week recovery process. 'Last Friday, I underwent a 7.5-hour operation to rebuild me. I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a Mack truck,' she said. 'I've had physio just to deep breathe again, and I'm rocking some gnarly-looking drains. But I am home.' She then went on to thank her husband for 'holding it together' through the surgery's aftermath, saying she was in 'awe' of him. 'I've got three little emotional girls who are so happy to have their Mumma back -albeit a bit grossed out by me and my friends, the drains.' The Aussie star then revealed why she decided to be transparent about her health journey on social media. 'So many of you have been with me through the entire motherhood journey. We're friends. A community. It matters to me. 'I'm home, I'm healing, and I'm grateful,' she ended off the post.
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
My 600-Lb. Life star Latonya Pottain dead at 40 after asking fans ‘pray for me' in concerning post
MY 600-lb Life star Latonya Pottain has died at the age of 40 from congestive heart failure. Latonya died on Saturday, May 17 at CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, according to TMZ. 1 According to the Natchitoches Parish Coroner's Office, the preliminary autopsy shows she died of congestive heart failure. Latonya's brother told the outlet that family visited her on Saturday morning and noticed she was having difficulty breathing. Latonya was rushed to the hospital later in the day and went into cardiac arrest. The final autopsy remains pending. HEALTH ISSUES Latonya has been hospitalized with heart issues in the past. The death comes nearly a year after Latonya begged her Facebook followers to pray for her during her health battle. She wrote, 'Y'all pray for me my heart not working right and there is nothing more the doctors can do here in Louisiana please keep me lifted." TIME ON TV She appeared on Season 11 of My 600-lb Life. During her time on the series, she struggled to stay on her weight-loss plan. Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, also known as Dr. Now, encouraged her to lost 40 to 50 pounds ahead of her surgery. She hired a personal trainer to help her with her weight-loss goal. She struggled with mental health issues, which she claimed led to her overeating to numb her pain. "When I eat, it takes the stress away," she said on the series. "That's what I do to help me cope with things. "I know the food is unhealthy and not good for me. But with the habit that I have for long, it's hard to change it. I'm disappointed in myself for getting to this place." As Latonya continued to gain weight with each visit, Dr. Now informed her he would be unable to help her. She initially saw Dr. Now when she was 482 pounds. She returned five years later when she was 631 pounds.
