These celebrities live with chronic illnesses

Hailey Bieber, Shailene Woodley, Selena Gomez, Pamela Anderson, Ashley Olsen, Jimmy Kimmel, Katie Leclerc, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael J. Fox, Nick Jonas, Ben Affleck, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Jack Osbourne, Gigi Hadid, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian, Bella Hadid, Lisa Kudrow, Elle Macpherson, Sharon Stone, Kanye West, Salma Hayek, Chaka Khan, Dolly Parton, Jennifer Morrison, Theresa May, Jaime King, Liam Gallagher, Lena Dunham, Tom Hanks, Daisy Ridley

When it comes to health, people tend to be quite private... Famous or not, many people suffer from chronic or rare illnesses. Some celebrities have been through tough times before discovering that they suffer from serious illnesses, which are in some cases incurable. Just like the average person, they often keep this fact hidden and deal with it in private. However, a few brave celebs have spoken out to share their experiences and raise awareness about their conditions.

Click through they gallery and learn about celebrities' fights with chronic illnesses.

Hailey Bieber

It was widely reported that Hailey Bieber was hospitalized in March but details of her condition weren't shared. On April 27 2022, she posted a video on her YouTube channel in which she explains the terrifying incident in detail. Bieber recalled that she started to lose sensation in her fingers and struggle with her speech during breakfast with her husband. She said it was "definitely the scariest moment of my life." They rushed to hospital where tests revealed that she had suffered a transient ischemic attack, also known as a mini-stroke.

Further tests showed that the stroke was caused by a blood clot resulting from a congenital heart defect called patent foramen ovale. PFO is essentially a small hole in the heart between the right and left atrium. Bieber was admitted to hospital a second time to undergo a procedure to close the hole in her heart, which she said was between 12 and 13 millimeters. The procedure was successful and she is happy to be able to move on from the terrifying experience with an appreciation for her lucky escape.

Shailene Woodley

'Big Little Lies' actress Shailene Woodley spoke about her own struggles with chronic illness in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. She chose not to specify what it was, but shared that it was pretty debilitating for several years. She was forced to say no to many projects she would have enjoyed because she physically couldn't take them on. Woodley also spoke about the impact chronic illness had on her mental health: "You feel so incredibly isolated and alone. Unless someone can see that you have a broken arm or a broken leg, it’s really difficult for people to relate to the pain that you’re experiencing when it’s a silent, quiet, and invisible pain.”

Selena Gomez

The singer and actress is known to suffer from Lupus.

Pamela Anderson

The actress revealed that she suffers from Hepatitis C, which she contracted from using a contaminated tattoo needle.

Ashley Olsen

The actress has suffered from Lyme disease, which can result in debilitating life-long symptoms. A surprisingly large number of celebrities have also struggled with the illness.