Bachelor Joey Graziadei Opens Up About Being Diagnosed with Gilbert Syndrome: ‘I am Healthy’

Joey Graziadei opens up about his medical history after receiving multiple comments about a yellowish tint in the whites of his eyes.

In an Instagram video he shared on his account on Thursday, the moment Bachelor, 28, revealed that he was diagnosed with Gilbert (pronounced zheel-BAYR) syndrome during high school. According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s a common, benign liver condition that affects the way the body processes bilirubin, a yellowish substance produced during the body’s normal breakdown of old red blood cells.

The condition usually does not require treatment and sometimes results in a slight yellowish tint—or jaundice—of the skin and the whites of the eyes.

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“Hi everyone, I hope you’re having a nice day,” Graziadei said at the start of his video. “I just wanted to jump in here real quick and talk about something I’m seeing a lot of comments about, which is Joey’s yellow eyes.”

“So to give some context on that.” he continued, “I have to go all the way back to when I was in high school. I was sick for about a week and a half, and my mom thought it would be a good idea to go to the doctor.”

The Bachelor he explained that during the visit, a blood test revealed significantly high bilirubin—indicating potential problems with his liver. He performed ultrasound examinations and consulted with other medical experts. “They found that there wasn’t anything necessarily wrong, like hepatitis,” he said, “but they diagnosed me with something called Gilbert’s syndrome.”

“At the end of the day I was told I was healthy,” he added. “It’s something that affects the whites of my eyes, giving them a yellow look. It’s something I want to pay more attention to this year. I want to make sure my health is optimal. But I wanted to give you a little background and make sure that, as far as I know, healthy.”

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Joey Graziadei on ABC’s The Bachelor.

Gizelle Hernandez/Disney

Looking ahead, Graziadei said he intends to focus more on staying hydrated, getting enough sleep and managing stress levels.

“I appreciate everyone looking out for me and wondering if I’m okay, but as far as I know, I’m as good as I can be and I’ll continue to monitor that. So thank you very much,” he concluded.

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Bachelor airs Mondays at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education