healing
Traitors star looks unrecognisable as she reveals secret health battle and swollen face in shocking snaps
Having at first ignored "invisible symptoms", she realised something needed to change
THE Traitors star Alex Gray has opened up about her secret health battle.
Alex, 28, appeared on series one of the smash-hit BBC show back in 2022 alongside boyfriend Tom Elderfield.
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Taking to Instagram, the media personality shared snaps of her swollen face and revealed her health struggles.
She described how her body had been "screaming out" that inside she was "breaking down".
Up to that point, Alex had been suffering "invisible symptoms", including fibromyalgia, a chronic condition causing pain and tenderness throughout the body.
The star also identified having faced chronic fatigue, arthritis, digestive issues, brain fog, general inflammation and amenorrhea - which is the absence of menstruation.
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Having initially ignored these signs, Alex wrote "I carried on pushing my body to its limits, working round the clock, working out for 2 hours a day, combined with a terrible diet due to being engulfed by an eating disorder.
"And then this rash appeared… essentially my body’s way of waving a red flag that inside was utter turmoil."
Alex explained how she knew change was needed when she "hit rock bottom" and didn't recognise her reflection in the mirror.
The former Traitors contestant added: "My health is still not back to where I used to be. But my god does it feel like a lifetime apart to when those photos were taken.
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"I’ve prioritised healing. Nurturing my body through resting, eating in abundance, never restricting, listening to my body’s needs, not pushing myself so hard anymore, eliminating the foods that trigger all my symptoms, spending more time in nature.
"When I have days where I feel less than, I allow myself to just slow down, skip the gym, take a “duvet day”, postpone that meeting.
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"I don’t care about pushing myself to the extreme anymore, because I did that and it put me in a hole."
However, she also discussed the difficulties of the healing process including the time frame and loneliness involved.
Alex said: "It takes an incredible amount of patience. And it can be unbelievably frustrating. But it will happen if you work for it.
"Like I said, I’m still not 100% “healed”, but I can sure as hell say I’m no longer in the bottom of that pit like I was.
"It’s a journey. Don’t give up."
What is fibromyalgia?
According to the NHS, fibromyalgia is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.
As well as widespread pain, people with fibromyalgia may also have:
- increased sensitivity to pain
- extreme tiredness (fatigue)
- muscle stiffness
- difficulty sleeping
- problems with mental processes (known as "fibro-fog"), such as problems with memory and concentration
- headaches
- irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a digestive condition that causes stomach pain and bloating
During their time on The Traitors, Alex and boyfriend Tom hid their pre-existing relationship at first.
However, it later came to light in chaotic scenes as players were left questioning who they could trust.
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In series two, mother and son Diane and Ross Carson learned from this and kept their link under wraps.
Series one and two of The Traitors is available to watch on BBC iPlayer
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