Daisy Ridley Reveals Graves’ Disease Diagnosis

Daisy Ridley has revealed she has been diagnosed with Graves’ disease.

In her cover story for Women’s Heath, the Star Wars actress shared she was told she has the autoimmune disorder last September. Ridley realized there was something wrong with her health while filming the thriller Magpie, about a woman losing control as her relationship with her husband crumbles.

“I thought, ‘Well, I’ve just played a really stressful role; presumably that’s why I feel poorly,’” the actress recalled. Her general practitioner encouraged her to visit an endocrinologist after experiencing symptoms such as a racing heart rate, weight loss, fatigue and tremors.

When the doctor described that Graves’ can make you feel “tired but wired,” this clicked for Ridley. “It was funny, I was like, ‘Oh, I just thought I was annoyed at the world,’ but turns out everything is functioning so quickly, you can’t chill out.’”

Since then, Ridley has adopted a routine of daily medication as well as integrating wellness measures such as infrared saunas, cryotherapy, massages, acupuncture and baths. She also decided to go on a gluten-free diet to reduce her inflammation. “I am not super strict about it, but generally cutting down on gluten makes me feel better,” she said.

Mayo Clinic describes Graves’ disease as an “immune system condition that affects the thyroid gland. It causes the body to make too much thyroid hormone,” leading to hyperthyroidism, which can affect multiple organs. Though anyone can get Graves’ disease, it’s more commonly found in women, as well as people over the age of 30.

Ridley isn’t the only celebrity to speak up about being diagnosed with the disease. In 2018, Wendy Williams revealed she has Graves’ disease and took a three-week hiatus from her eponymous talk show due to the ailment.