Daisy Ridley Reveals She's Been Diagnosed with Graves’ Disease: 'I Didn't Realize How Bad I Felt'

Daisy Ridley is opening up about her health, revealing in a new interview that she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease in September 2023.

The actress, 32, discussed her experience with the autoimmune disorder on the cover of the September/October issue Women’s healthwhich fell on Tuesday, August 6.

“I shared it for the first time [Graves’]”, said Ridley, who has already told how she struggles with endometriosis and polycystic ovaries.

Graves’ disease is an immune system condition that affects the thyroid gland, according to the Mayo Clinic. It causes the body to produce too much thyroid hormone.

Ridley’s journey to finding out she had Graves’ started when she saw her GP about hot flashes and fatigue after finishing filming her psychological thriller Magpie. “I thought, Well, I just played a really stressful role; that’s probably why I feel bad,” she said.

She was then encouraged to see an endocrinologist, who noted that her symptoms – which include hand tremors, a racing heart and weight loss – are often referred to as “tired but alive”.

That struck a chord. “It was funny, I was like, ‘Oh, I just thought I was pissed off at the world,’ but it turns out everything works so fast you can’t relax,” Ridley said.

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Daisy Ridley in ‘Women’s Health’.

Jonny Marlow for Women’s Health

There is no cure for Graves’ disease, but treatments can reduce the risk of complications and help manage symptoms.

For Ridley, that includes adjusting what Women’s health called “a routine pattern of daily medication and more careful eating,” including cutting out gluten, which is said to help with inflammation.

“I’m not super strict about it, but I generally feel better if I cut back on gluten,” says Ridley, who has also been vegan for a year.

Daisy Ridley for ‘Women’s Health’.

Jonny Marlow for Women’s Health

She also slowed down more and started taking care of herself, including regular exercise. “It’s an hour just for me and it’s my time to do what I need to do to feel good,” she said.

Acupuncture, massages, infrared saunas and cryotherapy are integrated into her routine. “I’ve always been health conscious, and now I’m trying to be wellness conscious,” Ridley continued.

“I didn’t realize how bad I felt before,” she said, looking back after making those lifestyle changes. “Then I looked back and thought, ‘How did I do that?’ ”

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Daisy Ridley in the movie ‘The Young Woman and the Sea’.

courtesy of Disney

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Actress — currently playing the famous American swimmer Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle in the A young woman and the sea — told Women’s health through this experience she learned to listen to her body.

“We all read the statistics about women who are undiagnosed or underdiagnosed and we kind of resign ourselves to saying ‘I really, really don’t feel good’ and not saying ‘I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine.’ It’s just normalized that I don’t feel well,” she said.

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s a lot less serious than what a lot of people go through,” she added. “[But] even if you can handle it, you shouldn’t. If there is a problem, you should not simply [suffer through it].”

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Source: HIS Education