He may seem an all-smiles cheeky chappy on The Chase, but ITV presenter Bradley Walsh doesn’t always have it easy.
For the 63-year old suffers from the “seriously bad” eye disorder blepharitis, which causes swelling and redness.
Bradley has spoken candidly in the past about the condition, which most fans aren’t even aware he has to endure.
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At times, side effects have left his face looking puffy on the show, leaving fans concerned for his health.
In an interview on This Morning, however, he addressed his battle.
“People don’t realise I have seriously bad blepharitis,” he explained.
“I have to take one pill a day for it or I really struggle. I am going to need my eyes operated on at some point to sort it out.
“So many times, people have commented on how I look. But they don’t realise. If I take medication though, I’m fine.”
Bradley explained to then-hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford in 2017 that his blepharitis caused red, swollen, itchy eyelids and flakes or crusts at the base of his eyelashes.
According to the NHS the condition can be caused by a type of bacteria that lives on the skin, a skin condition, such as seborrhoeic dermatitis, and the glands inside the eyelids not producing enough oil.
In some cases, sufferers can wake up with their eyelids completely stuck together and a “gritty” feeling in the eyes.
Although it isn’t life-threatening, the condition can often lead to dry eyes, conjunctivitis and even cysts.
To minimise its impact, sufferers are advised by wash eyelids daily.
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Bradley has also suffered from another health scare that led to him losing 10lbs, meanwhile.
Shortly after celebrating his 60th birthday in 2020, the multi-talented star shared the news that doctors had urged him to lose weight.
The former Corrie star told The Sun at the time: “I was a time bomb. I was quite lucky in regards to the calcium test but my doctor said I produce too much cholesterol. It’s a silent killer.
“I thought, ‘Oh crikey, I’m gonna be bang in trouble here if I don’t lose the weight and start dealing with this’.”
Thankfully he subsequently shed almost a stone to help improve his health.
The Chase airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 5pm.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
