Martine McCutcheon celebrated her husband Jack McManus' birthday this week, marking the occasion with reference to her ill health, which left them unable to celebrate his special day last year.
Alongside a smiley photo of the pair, with Martine rocking a gold sparkly mini dress. "I wanted to share these as my husband's birthday was kind of an extra big deal for me this year - Last year was terrible," the former EastEnders actress shared.
"I was so dizzy I could barely stand, I had been in hospital with my CFS and to say Jack held the fort is an understatement. His birthday was pretty rubbish, so I’m SO grateful and glad we got to enjoy this one."
Martine went on to explain that her health conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome, ME and fibromyalgia, prevent her from making plans – and sometimes stop her enjoying the occasions when she does go out.
"I have to plan things pretty last minute as I don’t know how my symptoms will be and I hate letting people down," Martine continued, adding: "I only surround myself with people who understand that if I need to cancel something (& that can happen often) it’s not a choice I want to make and that they go ahead and book something and if they see me rocking up, it’s a bonus!"
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The 47-year-old gave advice to fellow sufferers on how to educate their friends, writing: "I also ask my friends to google CFS /fibro symptoms. If they love you, it’s the least they can do! Understanding helps with support."
The Love Actually star also shared how she can find social situations overwhelming and has found ways to manage.
"I forgot my sensory ear plugs Dammit! They are amazing if you are dealing with sensory overload or feel or feel like everyone is shouting (which is often the case with CFS and fibro etc…)"
Martine's fans appreciated her raising awareness of the conditions, writing: "Thank you for raising the awareness of CFS. My best friend has had ME for over half of her life & there's still such a lack of understanding & knowledge around it from others."
Another one added: "Thank you for raising awareness of our 'invisible illness'. Glad you got to celebrate Jack's birthday in style this year, you look fabulous."
We're so happy Martine is feeling better than last year!