jonathan ross daugther illness© Photo: Getty Images

Jonathan Ross' daughter Betty shares 'painful' reality of chronic illness

Betty posted three symptoms of her condition on Instagram

Wellness Editor
March 25, 2022

Jonathan Ross' 30-year-old daughter Betty took to Instagram Stories on Tuesday to share three of the symptoms she's suffering from as a result of fibromyalgia.

MORE: Jonathan Ross shares update on daughter's health condition that’s left her ‘bedridden’

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes pain and fatigue all over the body and Betty posted a picture detailing the impact that illness has on her life, captioned: "The Unholy Trinity: chronic fatigue, chronic pain and mental illness."

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Jonathan initially shared the news of his daughter's condition on Good Morning Britain in October 2021, as he explained that the family had made the decision to postpone their annual Halloween party because of Betty's illness.

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"Really, it’s being cautious as much as anything," he told presenters Richard Madeley and Ranvir Singh. "One of our children isn’t well, one of our children had Covid at the beginning of the pandemic and they thought she had long Covid, but it’s now been diagnosed as fibromyalgia which is quite debilitating, so she’s back home with us and we’re looking after her.

© Photo: Rex

Jonathan and his daughter Betty in 2009

"She’s upstairs in the bedroom and I thought, 'I can’t in good conscience have a big loud fun party downstairs and one of my children is locked in a room upstairs'. It would be like something out of a horror novel. So really, just out of a good conscience, we’re not going to do it, but hopefully next year we’ll be back."

Betty also opened up about her diagnosis on Instagram. "Fibromyalgia? I hardly know her!" she wrote in a caption. "This is me letting y'all know I got a Fibromyalgia diagnosis. Shout out to the 4 people who all said they thought I had fibro, turns out y'all were right. There's always a lot of weird feelings that come with a new diagnosis, but this one overall feels like a relief. It feels like my pain is being acknowledged, and that with this diagnosis I can better find ways of managing my pain.

© Photo: Instagram

Betty opened up about her diagnosis on Instagram

"To all my fellow fibromyalgia baddies, feel free to drop your fave fibro tips in the comments (I'll be putting some in there, but I'm still new to the game so idk how helpful mine will be)."

MORE: Fibromyalgia: The 'invisible illness' that could be causing your chronic pain

According to the NHS, "the exact cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, but it's thought it be related to abnormal levels of certain chemicals in the brain and changes in the way the central nervous system processes pain messages carried around the body".

It adds that "there's currently no cure for fibromyalgia" but there are certain treatments that can relieve some symptoms "and make the condition easier to live with". These include: medicine such as antidepressants and painkillers, talking therapy such as CBT and counselling, and lifestyle changes such as exercise programmes and relaxation techniques. Symptoms of the condition include: increased sensitivity to pain, extreme tiredness, muscle stiffness, difficulty sleeping, problems with mental processes, headaches and irritable bowel syndrome.

Betty isn't the only high-profile person who's been open about having the condition. Lady Gaga has fibromyalgia too and reportedly uses an infrared sauna blanket to help with the pain.

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