Terri Seymour has been forced to defend the sound of her voice after she was criticised by some viewers following her appearance on ITV's Lorraine on Wednesday. The 47-year-old was filling in for Ross King as the guest showbiz presenter, but during her two appearances, some viewers were distracted by her "croaky" vocal cords and took to social media to complain.
However, Terri has since addressed the issues, revealing the heartbreaking reason behind why her voice sounds the way it does. Taking to Instagram, Simon Cowell's ex admitted that her huskier tone is a side effect of having lupus – an autoimmune disease that occurs when your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs. She explained: "I wouldn't normally do this but for those people commenting on my voice, I sound the way I do due to having lupus, which is an autoimmune disease. Over five million people suffer from this worldwide and I'm very proud to be an ambassador for @lupusla and to talk about this on behalf of others. Link is in my bio for more information on lupus. I hope you understand why I did this and I want to thank everyone for their messages of support."
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© Photo: Getty ImagesTerri was forced to defend her voice
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Back in 2010, Terri opened up about her gravelly voice, telling the Mail On Sunday: "You either love it or hate it. People know it’s me even if I have my back to them. My voice wasn’t like this before I got sick." Terri's doctor at the time, consultant rheumatologist Professor Graham Hughes, a world authority on the disease, also explained why her voice has been affected by lupus. He said: "The larynx is a jointed structure made of cartilage, so in patients who have rheumatoid symptoms it is possible the voice could be damaged."
Rheumatoid symptoms of lupus include raised red patches on the skin, a rash from sunlight, ulcers or open sores in the mouth or nose that are usually painless, and arthritis in at least two joints plus tenderness or swelling.
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