Dancing With The Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba opened up about her battle with lupus during an appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan Thursday. The Talk co-host said she was only recently diagnosed with the condition, and has started making changes in her lifestyle. Inaba is one of several celebrities who have discussed their battles with lupus, including Selena Gomez.
“I was recently diagnosed with lupus, I was actually told,” Inaba explained on Live. “It’s so weird. I was diagnosed with autoimmune 6 years ago, but my doctor didn’t tell me I had lupus. I was having a colonoscopy and I saw my chart [read] lupus and I was like, ‘This is not my chart,’ and they were like, ‘You have lupus.’”
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Inaba, 51, has since changed her lifestyle. She said she “quit diet coke” and no longer spends too much time in the sun “because when you have lupus you’re allergic to UV light, which I didn’t know, so I was causing my own flare-ups.”
Staying out of the sun is a big challenge for Inaba, since she’s from Hawaii. “That’s what we do,” Inaba told Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest.
Inaba was also diagnosed with Iron Deficiency Anemia six years ago. She once thought her symptoms were just signs of getting older, but since being diagnosed, she has been able to lead a better life.
“Once I was diagnosed, it’s like I got my life back. I am so grateful. There’s a blessing in some of these health conditions because it gives you a greater awareness of your own health,” Inaba recently told PEOPLE. “It makes you take care of yourself and realize it’s a very important component of a healthy lifestyle is to see the doctor regularly, make sure that you’re keeping up all your checkups and getting the right tests.”
In recent years, celebrities have become more open about their battles with serious health conditions, including lupus. In 2016, Gomez revealed she has lupus, and was forced to step away from the music business while being treated.
“As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways,” Gomez said in a 2016 statement. “I’ve discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges.”
Gomez told fans, “I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off. Thank you to all my fans for your support.”
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes the body’s immune system to attack tissues and organs.
“Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms often mimic those of other ailments,” the Mayo Clinic notes. “The most distinctive sign of lupus — a facial rash that resembles the wings of a butterfly unfolding across both cheeks — occurs in many but not all cases of lupus.”
Dancing With The Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Photo credit: Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
