Actress Daisy Ridley, who notably played Rey, the heroine of the latest Star Wars trilogy, has announced that she is suffering from a thyroid condition which causes severe fatigue and weight loss.
The 32-year-old American star revealed that she has Graves' disease in an interview with Women's Health magazine published on Tuesday.
“This is the first time I’m sharing this,” she explained, specifying that she was diagnosed in September 2023.
Among the symptoms she experienced were a rapid heart rate, weight loss, fatigue and hand tremors, the magazine said.
The actress, who had just finished filming "Magpie", a film due to be released soon and in which she plays a mother faced with difficulties in her relationship, did not initially realise that she was ill.
"I thought to myself that I had just played a very stressful role and that was probably why I felt bad," she said.
Graves' disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism and is more likely to affect women than men, according to the European Thyroid Association.
Other personalities who have suffered from it include rapper Missy Elliott and former First Lady Barbara Bush.
"With all the statistics about women being undiagnosed or underdiagnosed, we have to be willing to say, 'I really don't feel well,'" Ridley said. "It's okay to not feel well."
Already a vegetarian, the Star Wars star said she has switched to a gluten-free diet since her diagnosis.
"I'm not super strict about it, but in general, cutting out gluten makes me feel better," she said.
The last Star Wars trilogy ended in 2019. Since then, Disney has promised three new feature films about the galactic universe created by George Lucas, one of which is to be led by Daisy Ridley as Rey.
English 
French