Celebrities who have IBS: from Kirsten Dunst to Tyra Banks
Intro:
You're likely no stranger to irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), whether that's because you or someone you know has it.
A common digestive condition that can affect anyone, it causes unwelcome symptoms like stomach cramps, bloating, constipation, and diarrhoea. The exact cause is unknown, but it may be down to food passing through your gut too quickly or slowly, overly sensitive nerves in your gut, stress (or the gut-brain connection), or a family history.
While it may fluctuate, it's typically chronic, and can have a big impact on daily life. But despite there not being a cure, certain diet and lifestyle changes, along with medication can help keep it under control. Helping to increase its visibility, celebrities including Alexandrea Burke and have spoken out about their experiences of the diagnosis, and what helps them.
1 Alexandra Burke
Appearing on ITV's This Morning, Alexandra Burke revealed she had been privately battling with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms since her 20s, which would cause "crippling" pain in her performances.
"Ever time I had all these symptoms that would occur I would always think it was anxiety or something else that triggered it, and anxiety played a massive part in it all, but I just didn't know what it was," she told hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary in April.
"I was cutting out foods, I was doing everything possible to change my lifestyle with how I was eating, I was skipping meals before shows [despite of course being hungry], because all of the pain would come after eating."
First experiencing symptoms just after X Factor, she explained, "It got to the point where it was out of control, like it was an out of body experience. It's something that I was too shy and ashamed to speak about, which I shouldn't be."
Burke experienced cramping, a constant feeling of wanting to go to the toilet, pain after eating food, which she would try and help with exercise and meditation. And then, eventually going to the doctors, she was recommended a product called Symprove (a probiotic).
"It's been my life changing friend, it's changed everything."
Tyra Banks
Cher
Kirsten Dunst
You're likely no stranger to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), be it because you suffer from it yourself, or know somebody else who does – or perhaps you've heard about it due to celebrities speaking out about their own experience of living with IBS?
A common digestive condition that can affect anyone, IBS causes unwelcome symptoms like stomach cramps, bloating, constipation, and diarrhoea. The exact cause is unknown, but some experts say it may be down to food passing through your gut too quickly or slowly, having overly sensitive nerves in your gut, stress (or the gut-brain connection), or a family history of IBS.
While it may fluctuate, it's typically chronic, and can have a big impact on daily life. But despite there not being a cure, certain diet and lifestyle changes, along with medication, can keep it under control. Some people who have IBS see success with following the FODMAP diet, which identifies certain types of carbs are poorly absorbed by the small intestine, are prone to absorbing water and therefore fermenting in the colon.
Helping to increase its visibility and public understanding of what IBS is can also help sufferers, especially when it comes to feeling less alone. So, it's a really positive thing that we're seeing more celebrities (most recently Alexandrea Burke) and influencers speaking out about their experiences of having an IBS diagnosis, and what helps them to stay feeling happy and healthy.
From Tyra Banks to Love Island star Malin Andersson, here are the notable names who have shared their IBS stories with the world:
Alexandra Burke
Appearing on ITV's This Morning, Alexandra Burke revealed she's been privately battling with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms since her 20s, which would cause "crippling" pain during her performances.
"Every time I had all these symptoms that would occur I would always think it was anxiety or something else that triggered it, and anxiety played a massive part in it all, but I just didn't know what it was," she told hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary.
"I was cutting out foods, I was doing everything possible to change my lifestyle with how I was eating, I was skipping meals before shows [despite of course being hungry], because all of the pain would come after eating."
First experiencing symptoms just after X Factor, she explained, "It got to the point where it was out of control, like it was an out of body experience. It's something that I was too shy and ashamed to speak about, which I shouldn't be."
Burke experienced cramping, a constant feeling of wanting to go to the toilet, pain after eating food, which she would try to help with exercise and meditation. And then, eventually going to the doctors, she was recommended a product called Symprove (a probiotic).
While everyone is different, and you should check with your doctor what's best for you, she added: "It's been my life changing friend, it's changed everything."
Rina Sawayama
Pop icon Rina has spoken out about the struggle of balancing IBS with lots of travel for work and having to perform even on a bad day.
"The pressure with the pop girls is that even if you’re not having such a good day, even if you’re really jet-lagged or your IBS is going crazy or whatever, you have to look really hot. Consistently hot," she told Them. "And also everything you say is going to get printed and put on Twitter."
Kirsten Dunst
It's been reported that Kirsten Dunst has also suffered from IBS, directly linking it to her depression and anxiety. She is thought to have followed a low FODMAP diet to help with symptoms.
FODMAP stands for fermentable, oligo-saccharides, di-saccharides, mono-saccharides and polyols – and while it may sound like another language, it basically identifies the types of carbs that people might struggle to digest, or absorb properly, in their body. This could be types of dairy, beans or soy, juices, wheat, some fruit and veg, and more.
Malin Andersson
Ex-Love Island star turned mental health advocate Malin Andersson shared her diagnosis of IBS with her fans in 2020.
Posting a picture of her bloated stomach to Instagram, one of the condition's symptoms, she wrote: "IBS. A physical condition many people suffer with. IBS is a long-term condition of the digestive system which can be painful and difficult to live with if you don’t have your symptoms under control. The most common symptoms are stomach pains, cramping, bloatedness and diarrhoea. It can be very uncomfortable and make you anxious about going about your day to day life."
She explained she developed IBS in her teenage years, and struggling with her self image, abused laxatives to "empty out her body".
"I remember waking up each day with awful cramps and having to go toilet just so I could ‘look and feel skinnier’. I now suffer in my adult life and struggle to eat gluten and other types of food that make my tummy sensitive," Malin shared. "IBS is an untreatable condition however in my day to day life I've learned to handle it and keep it under control."
At the time, she said she avoids flare ups through a diet that works for her and keeping her mind calm. Urging people to contact their GP if they're worried, she added, "We are human, we are all different, don’t compare yourself to anyone but you." Absolutely.
Trya Banks
Trya Banks once opened up about the condition in 2006 while in conversation with Janet Jackson, on her own talk show Tyra.
She shared she was very "gassy" and followed a low FODMAP diet to help manage her symptoms.
A recognised treatment for IBS, this eliminates any foods that may be potential triggers, for example some types of carbs. Typically it's not recommended to cut out certain food groups in a healthy diet, but for some health conditions there are exceptions.
Catherine Tyldesley
Coronation Street and Strictly Come Dancing star Catherine Tyldesley has candidly opened up about how her symptoms – which she compares to the pain of childbirth – resulted in an IBS diagnosis.
"In the past, I was admitted to hospital a few times with the worst stomach pain, which I can now compare to labour pain. It was horrendous," she told Top Santé magazine. "The pain was so bad, I was put on morphine. It turned out to be irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). My digestion was completely out of whack. I really struggled with certain foods. So, I realised I needed to do something about my diet. I needed to think about health."
Recommended by a friend, the medicinal chef Dale Pinnock, she also tried Symprove. "That was about eight years ago now. After being on it for around 3-4 weeks, I was able to come off all my medication – and I had been on a lot of them."
She also likes to help herself naturally too, checking if there's anything she can do to improve her nutrition.
Camille Meyer
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star was diagnosed with IBS in 1996 and she, along with ex-husband Kelsey Grammer, even became a spokesperson for the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders.
"I am always fearful that my IBS symptoms will return at any moment, so I always have to know where the nearest restroom is," she reportedly said in a statement.
"I'm afraid that eating will result in stomach pain. Travelling is difficult. And IBS often makes even a simple evening out with my husband to enjoy a concert or movie seem impossible."
Alexandra Cane
Former Love Island star Alexandra Cane has previously opened up about her diagnosis on social media.
"So I’ve suffered with bloating for many years on and off. Initially, when I first got diagnosed with IBS I was given [medication] & told to see how I get on. I refused to take them," she wrote.
"I wasn’t satisfied with the response I got and decided to get to the root of the problem. I did this through looking at what I was consuming. WE ARE WHAT WE EAT."
Cam'ron
Rapper Cam'ron (yep, of Hey Ma fame) has openly shared his experience of living with IBS, even penning a song titled... I.B.S.
Lyrics include "I got stomach pain, don't matter sun or rain. Thought that it went away, uh oh, here it come again" and "laparoscopy, inoscopy, I be stressed... the prognosis, diagnosed, IBS".
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