In Pics | Celebrities who were diagnosed with rare diseases

While celebrities often prefer to hide their personal and private lives and in particular their health conditions, there are a few who broke this barrier and publicly spoke about their illnesses. Here we take a look at some celebrities who have been vocal after being diagnosed with rare diseases.

Justin Bieber – American pop star Justin Bieber has been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. He took to social media to explain the serious virus that caused him partial face paralysis. According to the Mayo Clinic, Ramsay Hunt syndrome occurs when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near one of your ears. In addition to the painful shingles rash, Ramsay Hunt syndrome can cause facial paralysis and hearing loss in the affected ear. Credit: Instagram/@justinbieber

Gaten Matarazzo – 'Stranger Things' star Gaten was born with

Lady Gaga – Singer Lady Gaga suffered from a painful case of synovitis that forced her to cancel her tour in 2017. In an interview, she admitted that she has been battling chronic pain that has left her unable to walk. She took some time off her gruelling tour to regain her strength. Credit: AFP Photo

Venus Williams – Tennis sensation Venus Williams sent shockwaves in 2011 by announcing her retirement. Later it was learnt that she decided to quit sports after receiving the diagnosis of Sjogrens Syndrome. This rare disease is an autoimmune disease which results in the damaging of healthy parts of the body. Credit: AFP Photo

Nick Jonas – Not many know that American singer-songwriter Nick Jonas was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 13. Often referred to as ‘juvenile diabetes’, Type 1 diabetes isn't caused by diet and lifestyle factors. Credit: AFP Photo

Jimmy Kimmel – Comedian and TV host Jimmy Kimmel suffers from narcolepsy, a rare neurological disorder that affects the

Missy Elliot – Rapper Missy Elliot vanished from the music industry in 2008 due to her struggle with Graves’ disease. This disease affected her body and her life. The disease caused massive hair loss and her eyes even bulge. Credit: Instagram/@missymisdemeanorelliott

Atticus Shaffer – Atticus Shaffer suffered from osteogenesis imperfecta from his birth. This rare genetic disease prevents the body from making strong and healthy bones. The disease makes bones so fragile that a living person can break hundreds of bones easily in their body within their lifetime. Credit: Instagram/@atticusshaffervlog

Jade Pinkett Smith – In 2018, Jade Pinkett Smith confirmed that she was diagnosed with alopecia, a rare disease, which leads to acute hair loss. It occurs when the body's white blood cells start attacking the cells of hair follicles, which leads to acute hair loss, generally in patches, at times causing complete baldness on the scalp or even the body in many cases. Credit: AFP Photo