Mollie Pearce, known for her role in the second season of The Traitors, has candidly shared her experiences with ulcerative colitis, a chronic bowel condition affecting around 300,000 individuals in the UK.
She was diagnosed at the age of 11 when she noticed blood in her stool, mistaking it initially for menstruation. Mollie’s father also suffered from the same ailment, enabling her family to recognise the warning signs.
According to the NHS, ulcerative colitis is characterised by inflammation of the colon and rectum, which can lead to the formation of ulcers that may bleed and produce pus.
Speaking to the Times, Mollie recounted the challenges she faced in getting a proper diagnosis: “We had to go back and forth with the doctors, and they tried to tell us that it was an infection.”
However, it would prove to be something more serious; once Mollie started treatment, her condition would prove to be difficult to manage, with the model having to take prednisolone, a medication that led to side-effects, reports Surrey Live.
She described the impact of the treatment on her life, particularly during the transition to high school, where she had to cope with a “puffy moon face” and felt “all hairy and starving all the time”.
Mollie, who is currently competing in Dancing on Ice, also disclosed the extent of her daily struggles, saying: “Just locking the door after leaving the house would trigger something in me”. She poignantly added that her situation became so dire that there were times when she “couldn’t walk to school”, even though it was only “five minutes away”.
Mollie, who was also born with a visible limb difference on her hand and worked as a disability model, underwent surgery for her condition and now lives with a stoma bag, affectionately named Sid.
Reliving a significant moment with the BBC, she recounted: “The first time I went out with my dad to a McDonald’s drive-thru [after having the stoma], I remember not feeling panicked about needing the toilet. It was magic! “.
Those suffering from ulcerative colitis may experience symptoms such as diarrhoea, stomach pain, and an urgency to defecate, with additional indications like fatigue, loss of appetite, and weight loss.
The NHS recommends visiting your GP promptly if you show any signs of the disease without a previous diagnosis, where they can conduct blood or stool assessments.
For those diagnosed with ulcerative colitis who are experiencing a severe flare-up, the NHS says you should contact your GP or healthcare team. If that is not an option, seek the help of NHS 111 or out-of-hours services.
For further information about ulcerative colitis, visit the NHS website.