This Morning host Eamonn Holmes was diagnosed with shingles several years ago, with doctors warning him that he could have gone blind.
Eamonn, 61, explained that he woke up and after looking in the mirror, was stunned to see that his face was covered in red marks back in 2018.
The Irish-born presenter said earlier this year that his appearance resembled something from a “horror movie” as he spoke openly about the condition.
Ruth Langsford’s husband told The Mirror: “When I called my doctor and said it was on my face the first question was, ‘Is it near your eyes?'”
He went on to reveal his doctor informed him: “Don’t touch your eyes because it could affect your vision – you could go blind, get down here to let me see,” before admitting that it instantly panicked him.
Eamonn contracted shingles, a rash that is caused by the chickenpox virus re-appearing, leaving him extremely ill for several weeks.
He went on to tell the publication: “I had to ask my mother if I’d had chickenpox and she said, ‘Of course you have!’
(Image: ITV)
“But I thought shingles usually happened to mothers with young kids who were stressed, so it was such a surprise to me.”
When an individual contracts chickenpox, once recovering it remains dormant in their body and certain conditions such as stress or chemotherapy can cause it to reappear.
It’s believed that 90% of adults in the United Kingdom have had chickenpox but a recent survey carried out by GSK revealed that over 2,000 people did not know much about the virus.
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Around 60% of people were aware that having chickenpox means you could trigger the shingles virus at a later date.
However, Eamonn revealed that he believes his condition was triggered by stress after a hefty court fight against Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs.
“HM Revenue & Customs had decided to challenge my status as a freelancer [claiming he was an employee of ITV and therefore liable to pay more tax], so we had just been to court,” he added.
Eamonn admitted that it was “the most horrendous experience” of his life, saying that he felt as though he endured a week of “absolute bullying and harassment”.
The star previously revealed that he looked “like Quasimodo” during his health battle.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
