JOSIE Gibson has opened up about her diagnosis with painful disorder lipodema – and why she first spotted symptoms.
The This Morning presenter, 40, revealed her secret health battle last week as she told fans she’s “constantly fighting my genetics”.
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Josie Gibson has opened up about being diagnosed with a painful disorderCredit: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
She recalled how a social media follower told her she had a ‘typical lipedema body’Credit: Instagram
Josie spoke to Ben and Cat about the surgery she’s had so farCredit: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
Today Josie appeared on the show to speak to Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard about being diagnosed, telling how it was a follower on social media who made her get checked out.
She said: “A couple of years ago somebody actually said on Instagram, ‘you’ve got a typical lipodema body’. I thought, ‘what’s lipedema?’
“I didn’t have a clue. I always knew that something wasn’t right with my body but I didn’t know what lipedema was.
“I got diagnosed about a year ago and I had surgery in September.”
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When asked by the presenters to explain exactly what the disorder is, Josie replied: “All I can tell you is what I’ve been told.
“I’ve been to see a lot of experts… I’ve been to Berlin to see one, I’ve seen three in London. And basically they said it’s when your body holds onto fat differently.
“I said, ‘I train, I don’t feel like I overeat, I’m fit and healthy’. They said, ‘you can train seven days a week – you won’t get rid of lipedema fat like that’.”
Josie also opened up about how the disorder impacts her when she’s working.
She said: “I was filming Taste of the Westcountry, I was there with [chef] Paul Ainsworth, we were in the kitchen and I kept having to prop myself up on the side because my legs were so heavy.
“I’d go out for a whole day of filming, get home and my legs would swell up.
“They’d go really big and heavy and can become quite sore. I used to bruise like a peach.”
Josie had her first round of surgery in September and revealed the eye-watering amount she was forced to pay.
“It was my last resort,” she explained. “What they do is they’ve got this stuff for lipedema now where they do this lipo treatment and they burn your skin on the inside so your skin tightens together again.
“I’ve only done my calves and it’s split into sections, you can’t do it all at once.
“But it’s a lot of money each time, I think I paid over £7,000 for just my calves.”
