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Jess Impiazzi thought she was dying before being diagnosed with an incurable condition.
The 34-year-old reality TV star suffered with the symptoms of hair loss, skin rashes and, on one occasion, she even coughed up blood before she finally received some answers about the state of her health.
Jess, who appeared on the 21st season of Celebrity Big Brother, opened up about how she is now navigating life with an autoimmune disease after her breast implant ruptured.
Jess broke down in tears to her husband, ex-footballer Jermaine Pennant, and told him: "I think I might be dying."
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Recalling the months she suffered before her eventual diagnosis, Jess told The Sun: "My body was just completely failing me and I couldn’t get any answers.
"I was tired all the time, aching all over and then this angry rash appeared on my chest and face. One day I started coughing up blood, which was incredibly scary. I thought it was stomach cancer."
She then 'started panicking' that what she had was 'multiple autoimmune' before explaining: "We looked it up and the life expectancy was six years. We both sat there and I burst out crying."
The crippling symptoms first cropped up in January, just one month after Jess had her breast implants replaced after one of them ruptured.
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It was only until July that the actor received a diagnosis that she was suffering from lupus.
NHS defines lupus as: "A long-term condition that causes joint pain, skin rashes and tiredness. There's no cure, but symptoms can improve if treatment starts early."
The main symptoms include joint and muscle pain, extreme tiredness that will not go away no matter how much you rest and rashes that usually come on after being in the sun.
Talking about her breast surgery, which she got at 18-years-old, Jess said: Jess said: "I know there is a lot of controversy around breast implant illness but I was healthy before this rupture.
"I had the new ones put in and my health has been dropping until every bodily function has been attacked by my own system."
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She went on: "The one thing that’s changed is my breasts. I don’t want it to be my boobs — they cost money and I love them. I was very insecure about my body when I was younger and was often teased at school because I had no boobs."
Jess has since set up an appointment to have her breast implants removed, saying: "My consultant said that there is a link between silicone and autoimmune diseases. Why else would my body start attacking itself?
"I’m not prepared for any more of my body to go down. Living like this is not a life. It’s hard."
She continued: "My whole body is attacking every healthy system. My fertility, my eyesight, my brain fog, my digestive system — everything. My fingers, my toes, my neck.
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"My muscles just start to spasm, I’ll get this lump in my neck and I can’t do anything. I’m going to lose my boobs and my hair is falling out. What next?"
While the whole ordeal has been a living 'hell' for Jess, she has since decided 'there is no more wallowing now'.
"I’m doing little things each morning that make me feel better, like putting my make-up on," she revealed. "I’ve spent so much time just sat in my tracksuit bottoms.
"I’m really hoping that once my boob implants are out I’ll start to feel better."
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Jess concluded: "All I can do is get the rest of this year out of the way and look forward to 2024."
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@jess_impiazziTopics: Celebrity, Celebrity Big Brother, Health, TV And Film