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Melissa Suffield (Image: Instagram)
Former EastEnders star Melissa Suffield has opened up about her challenging Christmas due to a recent diagnosis that has turned her life upside down.
Suffield, who portrayed Lucy Beale on the renowned BBC soap from 2004 until 2010, has had a year plauged by health struggles after she suffered with "horrible nausea" last December.
This eventually led to her being diagnosed with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH).
Speaking to The Sun, the 31 year old shared her ordeal of enduring approximately 40 trips to her GP and incurring vast medical expenses this year before receiving her diagnosis.
As a result, Suffield grapples with the implications of her condition, ahead of the festive season, she said: "For me, I would say about 80 percent of the joy comes from all the food. So I'm not feeling very festive this year.
Melissa starred as Lucy Beale (Image: BBC)
"But that's mainly because I can't eat loads of chocolate, biscuits and cake. So you know it is what it is. But I'm hopeful that next year I'll be eating that Christmas dinner again."
Despite her health woes, the actress expressed that her situation has inadvertently led her to a more wholesome lifestyle as Suffield remarked that, despite the circumstances, she feels like the "healthiest" version of herself, reports the Mirror.
She elaborated on her newfound dietary habits: "This is on paper, this year I've been healthier than I've been ever in my life before.
"The only thing I drink is water or water, with like ginger in it. I didn't eat anything that I haven't like prepared fresh myself, really at home, unless I absolutely have to. While I'm out I can eat chips."
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Melissa Suffield has been open with fans about her health woes (Image: Instagram)
Despite the hurdles, she maintains hope for a better and more indulgent Christmas next year.
"But even myself, like even chips at home and make them myself. I get an okay amount of sleep. I've got loads of like vitamins and minerals that my body needs going in, and I've never been sicker in my life."
Melissa also admitted that she hasn't had a "drop of alcohol" since her birthday last year, which fell on Christmas Eve.
Despite this, the mother-of-one, who is now championing body positivity and raising awareness about SIBO, conceded that while she may appear "healthy on paper", the reality is quite different, describing it as "very bleak".
English (US) ·