‘I love having lupus’: Katherine Ryan says the autoimmune condition has forced her to de-stress

TV panellist and host opened up about her experience with the incurable condition

Katherine Ryan has spoken out about her struggles with the autoimmune condition lupus.

The comedian and presenter was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition over a decade ago after experiencing symptoms, including fatigue, for nearly a year.

“I just felt really bad,” she told the The Mirror in a new interview. “My joints were sore, I had fevers that I couldn’t explain and, most noticeably, I had a really bright coloured rash on my face.”

At the time, in 2007, Ryan had recently moved to the UK from Canada, a change that she now sees left her “stressed”, a possible trigger for the condition.

However, as she felt more poorly, it was difficult for doctors and medical professionals to pinpoint the cause for her illness.

Ryan explained: “I went to homoeopathic doctors, I went to GPs, I went to private dermatologists. One thought it was ringworm and I tried different creams that irritated it even more. I was even being told I might have leprosy.”

After blood tests, worsening symptoms and an eventual trip to A&E, the Your Face or Mine host was told by a nurse that she had markers for lupus. She then visited another dermatologist, where she was given a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Katherine Ryan first felt symptoms of lupus in 2007 (Getty Images)

Though lupus can cause issues such as rashes, hair loss, joint and muscle pain as well as inflammation of organs and eye problems, Ryan’s symptoms cleared after eight months on the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine. She credits her recovery and current good health with leading a calmer lifestyle to avoid a flare-up of symptoms.

“I love having lupus really because whatever led me to the path of calm clarity has been worth it,” she noted. “Everyone’s different, but for me it was either I calm down or I get a fever, so the reward was high.”

Noting that her techniques of destressing are going for walks and not “sweating the small stuff”, she told the outlet that she’s now “never sick”.

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“For me, stripping the stress away from my life and eating an autoimmune protocol diet really cooled my autoimmune response. Since then it has never flared again.”

Though Ryan didn’t take medication for 10 years, she began taking hydroxychloroquine again in 2020 after experiencing a series of miscarriages, suspecting that her autoimmune system was responsible.

She now has a six-month old son, Fred, with husband Bobby Kootstra, as well as daughter Violet, age 12, from a previous relationship.