Featured Image Credit: YouTube/@thetherapycrouch / Dave Benett/Getty Images
Topics: Celebrity, Health, Mental Health
Lucy Devine
Topics: Celebrity, Health, Mental Health
Abbey Clancy has opened up about a recent health scare which left her terrified.
Model Abbey, 37, said she 'couldn't stop crying' when she started feeling numb from the waist down, explaining that after she consulted Dr Google, she was adamant it could be multiple sclerosis - also known as MS.
MS is a neurological condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of symptoms, from problems with vision, to mobility and balance.
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It's a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability, but in many cases can be treated with medication.
It is two to three times more common in women and is often diagnosed in young adulthood - between the ages of 20 and 30.
Speaking on her NewlyWeds podcast with husband Peter Crouch and Made In Chelsea stars Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo, mum-of-four Abbey explained she had visited a doctor over her concerns.
"It's when I had these jeans on, they were so tight they would stop the blood where I was sitting down. But googling it, it was MS," she said.
"I'd been holding [the worry] in so much that when I got to the doctor, I went hysterical and couldn't stop crying."
“Health anxiety is a thing. She has got an issue with that," added Peter, 42.
“I’d like Abs to worry less. It feels like she takes on everyone's problems, It's a nice thing but it takes its toll."
Health anxiety - or hypochondria - is when you spend so much time worrying about health, that it begins to take over your life.
It's estimated that four to five percent (but as many as 12 percent) of Brits have health anxiety, with the Covid-19 pandemic likely to have exasperated this further.
Abbey recently opened up about taking a trip to Thailand with husband Peter, which she says helped them to 'reconnect'.
"Pete and I have been together for nearly 20 years, and it's hard to keep the spark alive," she told New! magazine.
"The main thing is not to take each other for granted, and Pete surprised me with a trip to Thailand, which was such a thoughtful thing to do.
"The only thing was Pete didn't realise it was monsoon season it rained non-stop!
"We were there for 48 hours and we didn't leave our room. Pete says it wasn't his finest hour, but I didn't moan. I was just grateful for all the effort he'd gone to. I feel rejuvenated, and like I can be a better mother and wife."
You can find more information about MS at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.