Famous people with RA: We were asking on another blog... - NRAS

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Famous people with RA

DWhite profile image
47 Replies

We were asking on another blog if any famous people had RA and I have found that Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees is a sufferer brothersgibb.org/archives-p...

Maybe he could help with RA awareness.?

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DWhite
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47 Replies

Clare King who used to play Kim Tate is a fellow sufferer - she also did Strictly Come Dancing so hope for us all! - also I think Bob Mortimer suffers with RA also. Jane Seymour does not suffer with RA but I think she has a friend or family member that does and has done some campaigning for sufferers of RA.

Forgot to say Claire King was in Emmerdale :)

Well I'm fairly sure Delia Smith has it too - certainly some form of inflammatory arthritis anyhow because when asked in an interview what single change could improve her life she replied "an end to my inflammatory arthritis would be the best thing that could happen to me" or something along those lines. TTx

miss profile image
miss

Well i think i must have my head in the sand never realised . Not sure think lady gaga has a issue with some kind of arthritis too xx

Neonkittie17 profile image
Neonkittie17 in reply to miss

I think she said recently she has fibromyalgia.

Neonkittie17 profile image
Neonkittie17 in reply to miss

She says recently she has fibromyalgia.

Aggie Mckensie - How Clean is your house - I would never have realised she suffered with it, Rick Wakeman ( I think ) Kathleen Turner .

Brilliant post, it makes one realise how other people overcome stuff as well.

helixhelix profile image
helixhelix

Mary Berry has either bad osteo or RA - you rarely see her hands in the programmes, but when you do they look v painful.

Neonkittie17 profile image
Neonkittie17 in reply to helixhelix

Yes she has but she's not held back by it is she?! 😀 She's 80 and looks fab. I am glad she doesn't mind people seeing her fingers. I was told a few years ago I shouldn't show mine as they were hideous and how did I ever do anything with them? "How on earth do you do anything with those awful things?!" From a very unpleasant and very unattractive women, who is always meddling and scowling! Well these fingers type at 120 wpm and I write beautifully and no loss of technique in my art or printmaking so I think she is just very nasty. I almost told her to stand in front of the mirror but said .. You look after yourself and I'll look after myself! I have one middle finger which is a swan neck and noticeable on my right hand and one middle boutonnière finger on my lead hand which isn't too noticeable against the others but is in isolation. If I have it operated on I might not be able to use it so well. I do hide them though since that misery chops said her piece. She needs a personality implant!! 😁

nellysgran profile image
nellysgran

Mary Berry had polio when she was younger that's why her hands are deformed.

Wendt x

Neonkittie17 profile image
Neonkittie17 in reply to nellysgran

I remember now seeing her on .. My Life on a Plate.

lbtabby profile image
lbtabby

I think Mary Berry had polio as a child that affected her hand. X

lbtabby profile image
lbtabby

Great minds , nellysgran, we must have been writing that at the same time x

helixhelix profile image
helixhelix in reply to lbtabby

I know she had polio that affected her hand, but those knobbly knuckles are surely not polio?

Tacita Dean, artist, also has RA. As did Edward Burra.

Andrea_Shapiro profile image
Andrea_Shapiro

I googled this one a long time ago: I actually got an email back off Kathleen Turner about her RA a few years ago. Bob Mortimer: Reeves & Mortimer. Christiaan Barnard, who performed the world's heart transplant, and Auguste Renoir. Mary Berry doesn't have RA, she had polio as a child.

allanah profile image
allanah in reply to Andrea_Shapiro

What did Kathleen say in her email?

Andrea_Shapiro profile image
Andrea_Shapiro in reply to allanah

Just a thank you thing & that during her major episode she didn't want to be headlined in a film. My email was probably from her publicity office, but it seemed to tie in when she wasn't mentioned in the credits of 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' This was around the time of her RA, which would hit the nail spot on with a 40 odd year old woman

allanah profile image
allanah

The lady gaga thing was she has a history of Lupus in her family and thought she had it! She recently underwent hip surgery which could have been either from her dancing or effects of her “borderline“ lupus! Xx

Does Jane Asher have it? She's the president of Arthritis Care and is in their latest magazine with baking but her hands look fine and the article doesn't say so maybe not? TT x

DWhite profile image
DWhite

My thought is...since these people have money and access to the best doctors , it would be helpful to know what they do/take for their pain control.

in reply to DWhite

Well your article says that that Barry Gibb takes nothing to protect his stomach lining. I can relate to that! X

minka profile image
minka

this think kevin swants motorcycle gp rider had some sort of inflamatory ra

cos he cried because he could not race bikes anymore with his hands

If he's not specifying (and I've read it and he doesn't) then he wouldn't make much of an RA spokesman I feel?! It sounds like aggressive OA to me (thumbs, back etc) but I think having OA makes it more likely that it becomes RA at some stage. Could be wrong but that's what I've gathered from reading. X

daddyo profile image
daddyo in reply to

How would OA possibly make someone more prone to RA is my immediate question here. OA is good old wear and tear or caused by an injury at some stage. RA, where to begin? Perhaps by letting you in on a very poorly kept secret, RA is an immune system disorder and is as complex and obviously as misunderstood as cancer can be. There is no link between OA and RA. The opposite is not so true though, someone with RA may well be more prone to OA.

Over 20 years with a complex case of RA does focus one's understanding of the disease, or it should, oh yes, I do get very tired hearing much of the nonsense spoken about the disease.

Caza profile image
Caza

One of the Rolling Stones, can't remember which one. His hands, in an interview looking really bad but could be oa. I always look at people's hands & on some occasions have asked them if they have RA,so far they've always been happy to talk about it. It seems back in the day there wasn't much they could do to stop the deformity. x

Neonkittie17 profile image
Neonkittie17 in reply to Caza

That would be Keith Richards! He's got a lot of nodules on his fingers but it hasn't held him back! He's indestructible! 😁

I remember an article which stated that Lucille Ball had RA.

Carolyn x

magglen profile image
magglen

Although I wouldn't wish RA on anyone, we do desperately need someone with a high profile to bring the disease to the world's notice

Fidget02 profile image
Fidget02

I have contacted Aggie Mackenzie and await her reply!

Hope everyone ok with that?

Years ago I was going to write a cookery book of famous peoples favourite recipes. I never got round to it but have loads of recipes, signed and also signed pics. Anyone fancy helping updating and getting more? Raise money for RA. Also with a famous person to promote it could do well.

I can get printing done cheaply also!!

xx

DWhite profile image
DWhite in reply to Fidget02

I can give u my recipes but I'm not famous !

Fidget02 profile image
Fidget02 in reply to DWhite

You are famous in our eyes!!!

xx

DWhite profile image
DWhite in reply to Fidget02

Awwwwwwww x . you can have all my recipes then! I'm Italian , I'm a good cook!

Fidget02 profile image
Fidget02 in reply to DWhite

So we now need to cal you Mama DWhite !

I have always tried to find the perfect Bolognese sauce, The basis for everything. Even down to using chicken livers in it. Nothing I do tastes like the authentic version.

Any tips would be great!!!

xx

in reply to Fidget02

Do you know her then? I was really surprised to read that she suffers with RA, she seems so full of energy and does so many things. I think some of her relations suffered with it also so genetic in her case? I read that she doesn't let it rule her and copes as best she can, will be great if you hear back from her she would certainly be an inspiration to sufferers of RA.

Fidget02 profile image
Fidget02 in reply to

Fingers crossed. If you know anyone else who has it let me know.

xx

allanah profile image
allanah in reply to Fidget02

Sounds good but I am a rotten cook. Put some basic stuff for non Italian numpties like me xx

Good luck, I will keep my fingers crossed too that you hear back :). I think it's brilliant that you're being so proactive in contacting her... Would be soo good if she could something in RA awareness week but maybe too short notice for her if she was willing to help? Good luck again :) xx

Fidget02 profile image
Fidget02

Apparently Theresa May MP is patron of NRAS!!

So we need a patron of NRAS Healthunlocked??

Has anyone ever seen Theresa do anything for us?

in reply to Fidget02

Mmmm ok...thanks for that, didn't have a clue!

Victoria-NRAS profile image
Victoria-NRASPartnerModeratorNRAS in reply to Fidget02

Hi

Just to clarify, Theresa is a patron of NRAS, but HealthUnlocked is a separate organisation, so she is not patron of NRAS on HealthUnlocked, but has had involvement with our charity for years, from some time before she was Home Secretary, as she is also the MP for Maidenhead, where our charity is based.

She is still active with our charity, though obviously her time is quite constrained now, and she did make time to do a reading at our last couple of Christmas Carol concerts.

Kind regards

Victoria

(NRAS Helpline)

allanah profile image
allanah in reply to Victoria-NRAS

Well she would be a great help for Jamie on governmental policy as she understands the disease now the transfer to PIP has begun, one would think.

_andy_ profile image
_andy_

Phil Mickelson has Psoriatic Arthritis ,, and hes still one of the best golfers in the world ..

Neonkitty profile image
Neonkitty

I did post this somewhere on this board but can't remember where! American Actress Kathleen Turner has RA and writes about it in her biography. I also detailed some other artists, one who gave a painting to the drug company whose drugs had helped his arthritis so much. Also Renoir as stated. I do believe he had paint brushes tied to his sleeves so he didn't drop them/ease of use! I did an essay on my BA theoretical Studies module about Artists and Disabilities.

It is Keith Richards of the Stones (a band I love!) who has visible finger joint damage/distortion which looks like OA.

Bit late to the party here but I read somewhere that Ainsley Harriott has RA. I too really wish someone 'famous'

would raise the profile for us mere mortals who can't afford the very best private doctors etc.

Neonkittie17 profile image
Neonkittie17

I know a lot of musicians have had knee and back issues due to hard stages and lots of long shows. Many use carpets to stand on to try alleviate the hard concrete of some stages. I had no idea about Barry Gibb.

Simba1992 profile image
Simba1992

Not really sure he had RA. If so did sound promising that that he was treating it with diet and lifestyle changes and perticularly that he was managing without pain meds.

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