For nearly a decade, BBC Countryfile star Charlotte Smith lived with the fear that she had only a few years to live after being misdiagnosed.
In 2010, doctors told her she had Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a rare and often fatal condition that causes abnormal tissue growth in the lungs. "When I heard I probably had this very rare, potentially serious disease with an unpronounceable name I went into shock," Countryfile's Charlotte recounted to The Sun.
"The doctor was honest and told me all the stats, including it being 10 years, on average, between diagnosis and needing a lung transplant or even death. I left the consultation feeling like my world was collapsing.
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"My kids were just five and three then and I was worried that I wouldn't be around to see them grow up. When I told [my husband] Mike about LAM, he was so calm and reassuring."
Her health issues began after her brother's wedding when she became extremely ill, suffering symptoms akin to a hangover despite not drinking.
Later, she experienced severe breathing difficulties, which she initially attributed to a chest infection, reports Gloucestershire Live.
After seeking advice from her GP, she was given the devastating diagnosis. For eight years, Charlotte lived under the shadow of the rare lung disease until a surprising discovery during emergency surgery for a collapsed lung. They found she didn't have the disease after all.
She expressed relief at the misdiagnosis, stating that being told you don't have a fatal condition "is much better than being told you do".
While LAM is not always fatal, it can significantly affect quality of life, leaving many sufferers struggling for breath even on flat surfaces and some completely housebound.
Charlotte does have a lung condition, but its exact nature remains unknown to her doctors. She added: "They don't really know what's wrong with my lungs, they have holes in them and they don't really know why.
"So I have about 80% lung capacity a fit person would." But Charlotte has confessed to having more health issues than just those related to her lungs.
Since having knee surgery, she finds climbing over stiles particularly difficult. Her personal struggles extend beyond her health, as she opened up about her family's battle with dementia while working on a documentary.
"My grandmother had dementia," she revealed. "Dementia is horrific for sufferers and their families wherever they live but if you're somewhere rural it's a lot harder to get support.
"Dementia can be very difficult if the sufferer is a farmer because farms are full of hazards. But it was really heartening to see how many lovely people in rural communities make it their business to come out and help people. So the filming was sad and heart-warming in equal measure."
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