Netflix Star Reveals She Battled Parasites for 5 Years

Claire Foy credits a “gross” stomach parasite with getting her to quit caffeine in a lengthy experience she describes as “absolutely rank” and “disgusting.”

Foy, who is best known for playing Queen Elizabeth II during the first two seasons of The Crown, revealed she stopped drinking caffeine “quite a few years ago” during an appearance Wednesday on The Table Manners Podcast. 

“I had parasites,” the Netflix star admitted, revealing of her symptoms, “I kept losing weight, and I didn’t know what was going on. I was just like, ‘I’m eating everything.’ I was so hungry.”

Convinced she had picked something up while traveling in Morocco, Foy sought medical help and was diagnosed with stomach parasites via the “gross stuff,” a.k.a. a stool sample.

By the time she was diagnosed, Foy said she had been living with the parasite for “at least” five years. “And they travel as a pair, I got told by the doctor,” she continued. “Gross. Absolutely rank. It’s disgusting.”

People can contract parasites in numerous ways, according to the Cleveland Clinic, including spending time in areas in which they are prevalent, consuming contaminated food or water, or via bug bites. Symptoms include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, skin rash, increased appetite and unexplained weight loss.

“Anyway, so that’s why I gave up caffeine, because I basically had to go on this diet, because I didn’t want to take really hardcore antibiotics and stuff like that for it. I took all this gross stuff, and part of that was giving up caffeine,” Foy explained.

As Foy drank “at least 15 cups of tea a day” in addition to her “two coffees,” the Emmy winner said caffeine withdrawal was rough, which inspired her to keep abstaining even after her parasites were gone.

“And once you’ve given it up — it’s such a mission to give it up — that I was like, well maybe I’ll just give it a go of not,” she said.