MOVIE NEWS – Star Wars sequel trilogy actress Daisy Ridley has revealed another difficult health diagnosis…

Daisy Ridley, the actress who rose to stardom after bringing Rey to life in the latest Star Wars trilogy, has shared the truth about her health. She was diagnosed with Graves-Basedow disease, an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid gland and often leads to hyperthyroidism. Although she was diagnosed last September, Ridley is currently promoting her latest film, Young Woman and the Sea, and took the opportunity to give an exclusive interview to Women’s Health magazine.

In the article, Ridley confirms that she ended up seeing an endocrinologist last year due to constant “racing heart rate, weight loss, fatigue, and hand tremors”. The actress has always spoken openly about her struggle with endometriosis and polycystic ovaries, but now she has to fight another battle. Her symptoms became difficult to treat during the last productions, and looking back, she marvels at her resilience:

“I didn’t realize how bad I felt before. Then I looked back and thought, ‘How did I do that?’

The actress’ life took a sudden turn. After being diagnosed with Graves, she had to incorporate healthier habits into her already healthy lifestyle. Although she has been vegan for years, due to inflammation problems, she decided to eliminate gluten from her diet completely: “I am not super strict about it, but generally cutting down on gluten makes me feel better.”

“We all read the stats about women being undiagnosed or underdiagnosed and sort of coming to terms with saying, ‘I really, actually don’t feel good’ and not going, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine.’ It’s just normalized to not feel good.”

What is Graves-Basedow syndrome, the thyroid disease that the Star Wars actress suffers from?

Graves’ disease is similar to hyperthyroidism. Symptoms include sudden weight loss, muscle weakness, and sleep disturbances. The condition is entirely treatable, but its causes are still unclear; according to some experts, it may be related to a genetic factor. Due to the similarity of the symptoms, the diagnosis is often associated with hyperthyroidism.

The treatment has changed over the years, but Ridley also decided to radically change her training regimen. When talking about her trainer Matt Bevan, Ridley says, “He’s just so good. He understands bodies; he understands fatigue. I do lots of stuff that is reactive and functional.”

While training for her latest film, Ridley had to do a lot of swimming as well as arm exercises while wielding a lightsaber. In the interview, Ridley shares her routine while filming Young Woman and the Sea, the true story of the first woman to swim the English Channel:

“The first time I swam for the role, we were in a 20-meter pool, and I swam halfway, then started panicking. I was like, ‘I can’t do it. I actually can’t do it.'”

Then, for two and a half months, she had to swim for an hour and a half, three or four times a week. As production approached, she increased her training sessions to five times a week, all under the supervision of Olympic swimmer Siobhan-Marie O’Connor. Finally, after her authentic performance in the film, we can safely say that hats off to her. She prepared very thoroughly for the role – especially with such serious health problems!

Source: Women’s Health, THR