It's been five years since Martine McCutcheon was diagnosed with M.E – otherwise known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Now the 40-year-old has revealed she is also battling Lyme disease. Martine shared the health update on Instagram this week, as she celebrated losing a stone in weight on the Cambridge Weight Plan. The actress shared a close-up black and white snapshot showing her smile broadly for the camera, and wrote: "Here's my silly little head feeling all giddy and happy because I reached my one stone target today on the @cambridgeweightplan. I'm SO thrilled.
Martine McCutcheon revealed she has been diagnosed with Lyme disease in an Instagram post
"My loss was a tiny bit slower than the average person but to be honest I expected that as many diets/food plans didn’t work for me at all as the lymes disease and m.e can really play havoc with how your system works. Plus my consultant Donna stressed that my health is the most important thing so I took things a little more slowly whilst feeling more energised, and even with health issues I've still managed to do it!"
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Martine – mum to two-year-old son Rafferty – continued: "Only 5 and a half weeks and my BMI is in a much healthier range – and on my step of the plan I love that I can still have my green juices, porridge and real food. Give me too much choice and it’s game over! I've loved my choccie shake and mint chocolate bars and I whip them in my bag with my green juice and go! Its simplicity is brilliant. Here I am in @spacenk treating myself to new make-up and body treatments etc!! #1stone #20inches #cwp #weightloss #inchloss."
Bella Hadid and mum Yolanda also have the bacterial infection
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection which is spread to humans by infected ticks. Other known sufferers include Bella Hadid and her mum Yolanda Hadid, Kelly Osbourne and Avril Lavigne. Martine was diagnosed with M.E in 2012. It is a condition that causes severe tiredness and does not improve after resting. After revealing her diagnosis, Martine said: "I want to give hope to M.E sufferers, even people who don't know what they have got. I want them to know that they are not going mad and that they can get better. You can live a normal and good life again."