Britain's Got Talent champion Sydnie Christmas has revealed how she struggled for years with a mystery condition that left her in agony and on antidepressants.
The 29-year-old singer, who won the ITV contest in June and has just released her first album, began suffering from crippling tummy ache when she was 19, saying: "The pain was hideous." As she tried to carve out a career as a performer, Sydnie says the problems often left her bed-bound.
"I got a lot of intense stomach pains," she recalls. "The bloat was awful. It knocked me out. I would wake up feeling violently sick. It affected my toilet habits and I would often be in bed for the day."
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Getty Images)Her weight began to yo-yo too. "I would put on 6lb, lose it, then put it back on," she says. Before BGT, Sydnie appeared in the E4 programme Stage School and starred in shows on cruise ships, but her health began to affect her career.
"I wouldn't fit in my costumes. My face would swell up. I looked like I had something wrong." Sydnie suffered from anxiety and depression too. "Mentally I was in a bad way – very temperamental with a sort of mind fog. I would feel miserable."
In 2018 she went vegan for six months, but that only made matters worse leaving her with no energy and she admits: "I was living off pasta." But she shrugged off her symptoms and carried on. "My body was trying to cope, but I thought it was normal, I was used to it," she admits.
It wasn't until 2021 that a GP put forward the idea that she might have an intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, which could be the root of all her symptoms. "They suggested going on a gluten-free diet for a few weeks, cutting out foods like pasta and bread, then going back to my normal diet to see what difference it made," she recalls.
"It took two weeks for it to completely change my life. I had no pain, and my energy returned. I was flabbergasted. I was back to my old self. They say when your gut is unhappy, it affects everything. I came off antidepressants, lost about a stone and I haven't had weight problems since. There was such a drastic change that when it came time to go back on the old diet I said no. I didn't want to go back."
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This meant Sydnie has never had a formal diagnosis of coeliac disease, which triggers the body's immune system into attacking its own tissues, which can lead to diarrhoea, abdominal pain and bloating. For an accurate diagnosis, you need to eat gluten for at least six weeks before a blood test, so it can pick up the tell-tale antibodies.
But the star says: "I describe myself as a coeliac in restaurants so they are extra careful what they serve me, but in daily life I'm just gluten intolerant." Sydnie now follows a gluten-free diet, eating lots of chicken, rice, salads, potatoes and veg.
"My Sicilian boyfriend, Max Rizzo, is a good cook and often does a diet with me. If I have a bit of gluten, I'm in a mess. I miss Super Noodles and pie and mash."
The former gym receptionist also enjoys keeping fit. "I love to exercise. I've never not been active, which is why it was so frustrating that I was so unwell. I used to play rugby, and I love running, weights, the gym and dance."
Reflecting on how going gluten-free changed her life, she says: "It's amazing how something simple could be a cure. I wish I'd known sooner because I suffered for so long. I'm a different human being now – very awake and aware. I'm happy!"
Sydnie's debut album, My Way, is out now. Visit sydniechristmas.london for details of her 2025 UK tour, which starts in February.
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