Actress Daisy Ridley has opened up about her health and revealed that she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease in 2023.
The actress, known for her role as Rey in the Star Wars trilogy, discussed her experience with the autoimmune disorder in an interview with Women’s HealthShe explained that she first experienced symptoms while filming the psychological thriller Magpie, but initially attributed it to the effects of filming the movie. “I thought, ‘Well, I’ve played a very stressful role; this must be why I’m feeling so bad,'” she recalled.
Ridley decided to talk to an endocrinologist and explain her symptoms, which included a racing heart, weight loss, fatigue, and hand tremors. The doctor said Graves’ disease is often referred to as feeling “tired and worn out,” something Ridley herself had experienced when she was in the early stages of the disease.
“It was funny, I felt like I was upset with the world,” Ridley said. “But it turns out that everything is moving so fast, you can’t relax.”
Ridley, who follows a plant-based diet, said she was “health conscious” before her diagnosis, but now she’s “more well-being conscious” by incorporating treatments into her self-care routine, such as infrared saunas, cryotherapy, massage, and acupuncture, as well as holistic rituals and exercise regimens.
She’s also tried removing gluten from her diet, though she admits she’s not “super strict about it,” and it’s just one of the changes she’s found makes her “feel better” overall.
“I didn’t realize how bad I felt before,” she says, reflecting on her journey and the lifestyle changes she made. “Then I looked back and thought, ‘How did I do that?’”
Image credit: Kate Green/Getty Images for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures UK
Adele Ankers-Rang is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter here.
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