Originally appeared on E! Online
Daisy Ridley is speaking out about her private health battle.
The "Star Wars" actress recently detailed her journey with Graves’ disease, an immune system disorder that impacts the thyroid gland, after being formally diagnosed in September. As the 32-year-old explained, she initially disregarded symptoms — including her racing heart rate, weight loss, fatigue, and hand tremors — because, at the time, she was coming off of a role in the thriller Magpie.
“I thought, Well, I’ve just played a really stressful role,” Ridley, who had previously been diagnosed with endometriosis as a teen and polycystic ovaries in her ‘20s, told Women’s Health in an interview published Aug. 6, “Presumably that’s why I feel poorly.”
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Graves’ disease, which has affected other stars including Wendy Williams, Missy Elliott and Jenny Mollen, involves overproduction of the thyroid hormone often leaving patients “tired but wired,” according to Ridley's doctor.
“It was funny, I was like, ‘Oh, I just thought I was annoyed at the world,’” she quipped of her bouts of irritability, “But turns out everything is functioning so quickly, you can’t chill out.”
There is no cure for Graves’ disease, but certain treatments like adjusting diet and exercise and taking daily medications can help combat the symptoms.
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Ridley, a practicing vegan, has also tried to cut gluten from her diet to help with inflammation, admitting she’s not “super strict” about the process, but that she does notice a difference.
“I didn’t realize how bad I felt before,” Ridley shared. “Then I looked back and thought, How did I do that?”
She also makes sure to maintain a regular exercise regimen. “It’s an hour just for me,” she told the outlet, “and it’s my time to do what I need to do to make myself feel good."
Amid frustrations over her variety of health issues, Ridley is focused on staying in tune with her body.
“I’ve always been health conscious,” she said, “And now I’m trying to be more well-being conscious.”
