Julia Morris has opened up about her agonising health battle with shingles – a debilitating viral infection that is sadly familiar to many Australians.
The 57-year-old I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! co-host said that the condition left her bedridden with symptoms including blistering headaches and a nasty rash.
Known to impact one in three Australians over the age of 50, shingles is the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, varicella zoster.
‘When shingles hit me, I was in the middle of one of the busiest times of my career,’ she said in a new interview with Perth Now.
‘The physical toll was immediate and overwhelming — I had a red rash across my torso, an aching body and the most brutal headache.
‘I could barely get through a day without collapsing back into bed,’ she continued.
Julia Morris has opened up about an agonising health battle
‘Even simple tasks like having a shower left me exhausted, and I was completely debilitated for weeks. Shingles wasn’t just painful; it completely altered how I lived and worked.’
On Tuesday, the comedian posted a video, sponsored by pharmaceutical giant GSK, to help raise awareness about the condition.
Advising followers to talk about ‘hidden health baggage’, Julia wrote in the caption, describing her shingles battle as ‘incredibly painful’.
‘Before this experience, I didn’t know that shingles is caused by a reactivation of the same virus that causes chickenpox earlier in life,’ she continued.
‘Here’s the kicker: almost all Aussie adults are carrying this virus, and about 1 in 3 people will develop shingles in their lifetime.
‘There comes a time when you need to start contributing to your ‘health superannuation’.
‘That’s why I’m sharing my story to encourage Australians over 50 to speak to their doctor or pharmacist about shingles.
‘By understanding your risk, you can start to unpack the hidden health baggage so many of us carry.’
‘When shingles hit me, I was in the middle of one of the busiest times of my career,’ she said in a new interview with Perth Now
She also included a clip where she revealed she thought she was ‘too young’ to get shingles, even though the condition is most common in people over 50.
It comes after Julia recently opened up about her split from ex-husband Dan Thomas, four years after they separated in 2021.
The reality TV star was married to the British comedian, 44, for 16 years, and the pair share daughters Ruby, 18, and Sophie, 16.
She told TV Week she is the ‘happiest’ she has ever been following her ‘self-reflective’ journey post-split.
‘I’m definitely the happiest I’ve ever been, but I didn’t know I’d feel like that when I stepped into this journey four years ago,’ she told the publication in June.
‘I have an incredibly private life. I don’t share my children online, and we generally keep to ourselves. But, in terms of myself, I am honest.’