'Forced to go public': Samantha Ruth Prabhu on her Myositis diagnosis

Shedding light on the misinformation being spread at the time of her diagnosis, the actress said that her producers needed her to promote the film or else it would have died.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu on Saturday revealed that she was 'forced' to make her diagnosis public in the past. In 2022, the actress had revealed her diagnosis of myositis, an autoimmune condition, ahead of the release of her film Yashoda.

“I was forced to go public about my disorder. At that time, I had my female-centric film due for release. I was very sick back then. It was hard, and I wasn’t ready,” the actress shared at the India Today Conclave 2024.

Shedding light on the misinformation being spread at the time of her diagnosis, the actress said that her producers needed her to promote the film or else it would have tanked at the box office.

“So, I agreed to do one interview. Obviously, I didn’t look the same. I had high doses of medication to keep me stable. I was forced to. Given a choice, I wouldn’t have come out and announced it. I was called the sympathy queen by the public.”

She opened up about her diagnosis at the event calling Myositis a “misunderstood autoimmune disease,” where the body’s immune system targets and harms muscle tissues, causing muscle weakness, pain, and fatigue.

Last month, the 36-year-old actor shared a video on her Instagram Story announcing her comeback. "I am going back to work, finally. But apart from that, in the meantime, I was completely jobless. But, I am doing something fun with a friend. It's a health podcast...It is quite unexpected, but it is something that I really love, and something I am extremely passionate about," Samantha said in the clip.

On the work front, Samantha will soon be seen alongside Varun Dhawan in Citadel.