12 celebs who are battling chronic illnesses

5) Demi Lovato - Bipolar disorder

A still of Demi Lovato (Image via Demi Lovato/YouTube)

The 30-year-old pop star Demi Lovato suffers from a chronic illness, bipolar disorder. The singer has been diagnosed with a mental health condition since 2011 after struggling with cutting, bulimia, and drug addiction for several years. Bipolar disorder is a condition that causes extreme mood swings, including emotional highs such as mania or hypomania and emotional lows such as severe depression.

In an interview with Women's Health, Demi Lovato opened up about her mental health condition. She said:

"It's possible to live well, feel well, and also find happiness with bipolar disorder or any other mental illness they're struggling with,"

Lovato is currently a spokesperson for a campaign called Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health.

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6) Tom Hanks - Type 2 diabetes

A still of Tom Hanks (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Renowned and beloved 66-year-old actor Tom Hanks has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes since 2013. It is a chronic illnes where the way the body processes blood sugar gets affected. With type 2 diabetes, an individual's body either resists insulin or does not produce enough insulin. The actor has a family history of diabetes.

In a 2013 interview with David Letterman, the actor spoke about how he received the news of his type 2 diabetes from a doctor, saying:

"I went to the doctor, and he said, 'You know those high blood sugar numbers you've been dealing with since you were 36? Well, you've graduated! You've got type 2 diabetes, young man,"