Why so many celebs are all being diagnosed with the same disease as Justin Timberlake becomes latest star to share diagnosis

A long list of famous faces have been diagnosed with the same bacterial infection over the years, and people are beginning to question why.

The household names who have suffered with the disease include Yolanda Hadid, Bella Hadid, Justin Bieber, and Ben Stiller.

Amy Schumer, Shania Twain, Alec Baldwin and Avril Lavigne have also spoken out about their struggles with this particular illness.

As have Kelly Osbourne, Riley Keough, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and more recently, Miranda Hart.

And on Thursday (31 July), as he celebrated the end of his world tour, Justin Timberlake emotionally announced to the world that he too had received a diagnosis.

The singer wrote on Instagram: “Well, as these two incredible years come to an end and I look forward to the future, I wanted to write something from the heart.

It’s not an easy task to try to contextualize the whirlwind of touring –– but, I will try…”

A number of celebrities have been diagnosed with the same bacterial infection - and Justin Timberlake is the latest (Manny Carabel/Getty Images)

He continued: "This has been the most fun, emotional, gratifying, physically demanding, and, at times, grueling experience. I have been doing this for 30+ years (which feels crazy to say) –– and have given all that I have to this. I could not have done it without my family, friends, The TN Kids, and all of YOUR support.

"As many of you know, I’m a pretty private person. But as I’m reflecting on the tour and festival tour – I want to tell you a little bit about what’s going on with me."

Then, lifting the lid on the health struggle, Timberlake wrote: "Among other things, I’ve been battling some health issues, and was diagnosed with Lyme disease – which I don’t say so you feel bad for me - but to shed some light on what I’ve been up against behind the scenes.”

Bella Hadid is among those who have been diagnosed previously (Instagram/@bellahadid)

What is Lyme disease?

As per the NHS, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks.

The disease refers to the symptoms and health problems that develop as a result of the infection.

It’s usually easier to treat if it's diagnosed early and the key symptom to look out for is a circular or oval shape rash located around a tick bite.

It can appear up to 3 months after being bitten by an infected tick, but usually appears within 1 to 4 weeks.

The rash may have a darker or lighter area in the centre like a bullseye and is not usually hot or itchy.

Some people also get flu-like symptoms several days or weeks after they were bitten - these include:

• A high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
• Headache
• Muscle and joint pain
• Tiredness and loss of energy

A warning sign on Lyme disease is a rash like this, that looks like a bullseye (NHS)

Why do so many celebrities get diagnosed with Lyme disease?

Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious diseases from the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline why he thinks the famous are seemingly so prone to this disease.

An important fact about Lyme disease is that although ticks that may cause it are found all over the UK, the most high-risk places include grassy and wooded areas in southern England and the Scottish Highlands.

The expert explained: "If there is a rich and famous or class bias in this, it's probably because they spend more time walking around in wooded parkland, more money to go out to those areas, or have big homes with these sorts of places.”

A lot of these celebs likely live in the US where the illness is known for being quite prevalent.

The expert added: "As you're walking along the ticks jump on your legs and crawl their way up... have a blood feast and give you Lyme disease."

He went on: "If you go walking in these sorts of places the best thing to do is check, when you get home, that you don't have any ticks on you and if you have remove them safely."

Timberlake revealed that he decided to push through and continue touring, despite his symptoms (Lyvans Boolaky / Getty Images)

What has Justin Timberlake said about his Lyme disease diagnosis?

In his social media post revealing he had Lyme disease, Timberlake wrote: "If you’ve experienced this disease or know someone who has - then you’re aware: living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically.”

He added that he was ‘shocked’ when he first got the diagnosis, but it also helped him understand why he got ‘massive amounts of nerve pain, crazy fatigue and sickness’ while on stage.

The singer continued: “ I was faced with a personal decision. Stop touring? Or, keep going and figure it out.

“I decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I’m so glad I kept going.

“Not only did I prove my mental tenacity to myself but, I now have so many special moments with all of you that I will never forget.

"I was reluctant to talk about this because I was always raised to keep something like this to yourself. But I am trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren’t misinterpreted.

"Sharing all of this with the hope that we can all find a way to be more connected. I’d like to do my part to help others experiencing this disease too."