Daisy Ridley reveals Graves’ disease diagnosis

Daisy Ridley shared her diagnosis in an interview with Women's Health

The Star Wars actress confirmed the news during a new interview with Women's Health.

She explained that she was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition in September 2023.

She said she was feeling poorly for quite some time but put it down to stress.

The British actress explained that she couldn't relax and was suffering from symptoms like a racing heart rate, fatigue, hand tremors, and weight loss.

"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.

"I thought, ’Well, I’ve just played a really stressful role; presumably that’s why I feel poorly.'

"I’ve always been health conscious, and now I’m trying to be more well-being conscious," Ridley said.

But what exactly is Graves' disease?

Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease that affects your thyroid. It is the main cause of hyperthyroidism and causes a large thyroid.

The main signs of the condition include irritability, muscle weakness, trouble sleeping, and a fast heart rate. Those with Graves' disease may also have poor tolerance of heat and suffer from diarrhea and unintentional weight loss.

Other symptoms include eye bulging and thickening of the skin on your shins.

Between 25% and 30% of those with the condition will develop eye problems.

The exact cause of Graves' disease is not yet known, but people are more likely to be affected if there is a family history.

The disease can also be triggered by emotional or physical stress, an infection, or giving birth.

Patients who already have an autoimmune disease also have a higher chance of being affected.

Ridley said she's trying to listen to her body more as she comes to terms with the condition.

"We all read the stats about women being undiagnosed or underdiagnosed and sort of coming to terms with saying, ‘I really, actually don’t feel good’ and not going, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine.’ It’s just normalized to not feel good.

"In the grand scheme of things, it’s much less severe than what a lot of people go through. Even if you can deal with it, you shouldn’t have to. If there’s a problem, you shouldn’t have to just [suffer through it]."