Nadia Sawalha has spoken candidly about living with what she describes as “horrendous” health anxiety.
The Loose Women panellist has revealed it leaves her convinced on a daily basis that she’s developing serious illnesses such as dementia or breast cancer.
The actress, 60, said she can question up to 35 times a day whether she’s showing signs of dementia, admitting the “terrifying” intrusive thoughts sap her energy and make it difficult to enjoy life.
In a video posted to her YouTube channel, Sawalha explained she often becomes fixated on the idea that she might have conditions including bowel cancer, skin cancer, asbestos poisoning or Weil’s disease, a rare bacterial infection linked to rats.
“I’m always worrying that I’ve got some new and dreadful disease,” she told viewers.
“Something will pop up on Instagram or my 17 or 21-year-old will share something with me on TikTok or a magazine [will publish something] and I will just obsess.”
Of all her fears, dementia is the one she finds most “petrifying,” given that there is currently no cure.
“There wasn’t anything I did today, any interaction or transaction, where I didn’t go, ‘that was a bit weird, is that dementia?’” she said.
Sawalha also shared that her anxiety has recently led her to repeatedly check her moles for signs of skin cancer, adding: “Oh my God, it’s so draining.”
She added: “It steals the joy of life, I could be having a good time with family and then I’m like ‘I’m going to have that illness soon and I won’t be here,’ and I can’t discuss it with my kids because they get mad, they’re terrified.”
Sawalha shares two daughters, Kiki, 17, and Maddie, 21, with her husband Mark Adderley, whom she married in 2002.
Health anxiety, which is linked to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), can cause sufferers to fixate on developing serious illnesses. This may include repeatedly checking for symptoms, seeking constant reassurance, or believing medical tests have missed something.
The NHS says treatment often involves talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and medication to help manage anxiety.
The TV star has previously spoken about losing several close friends to cancer and is a passionate advocate for the breast cancer drug Enhertu, campaigning for it to be made available in Wales, Northern Ireland and England.
