If you or someone you love has been recently diagnosed with coeliac disease, you could be eligible to receive gluten free foods on prescription. Simply select your country of residence, and, if you live in England, fill in your postcode to check if your area is prescribing.
Your country is prescribing gluten free foods*. Request your Glutafin Taster Box by clicking the button below to sign up.
* Please note: local policies are constantly updated, and issuing a prescription is at the discretion of your GP.
With as many as one in a hundred people suffering from the condition, it’s no surprise to find a host of famous names from film and TV, as well as sportspeople and celebrities, and even the royal family, have been diagnosed with coeliac disease.
Not only does this show us just how widespread coeliac disease is in the population, it also shows us that you can live a normal and highly successful life with the condition.
Bob Holness was a staple of children’s TV in the late 80s and early 90s with the connect-the-shapes quiz game, Blockbusters. He presented the show for twelve years (although contrary to the urban myth, he didn’t play the saxophone on Baker Street). Bob wasn’t diagnosed with coeliac disease until long after the show finished, finally getting his diagnosis at the age of 76 in 2005.
Star of the Christmas movie staple Elf, Zooey Deschanel also had to wait many years to be diagnosed with coeliac disease, as her symptoms were dismissed as IBS. Fortunately, switching to a gluten free diet made her into a ‘New Girl’, bringing her back to our screens in 2024 with Harold and the Purple Crayon.
Men Behaving badly star Caroline Quentin waited years to be diagnosed with coeliac disease, because she assumed her symptoms were down to the nerves of constantly performing. “I struggled for years with stomach pains, vomiting, bloating, headaches and total exhaustion,” she told the Daily Express. “But I didn’t know they were symptoms of coeliac disease. I was really busy, and I honestly thought it was stress.” Today Caroline uses her own experience in her role as patron of Coeliac UK advocating for others who have shared her experience.
Not everyone has to wait years to be diagnosed with coeliac disease. The Good Place actress and radio presenter Jameela Jamil was diagnosed at the tender age of twelve. She missed a fair amount of school before her diagnosis, but understanding her condition, and following the right treatment, has enabled her to go from strength to strength ever since, becoming an actress, model and writer, as well as a fierce activist for body positive causes.
Cedric Benson was one of the stars of American football’s NFL in his day, despite being diagnosed with coeliac disease halfway through his career. He was fourth pick in the 2005 draft and went on to play for eight years, including a trip to Super Bowl XLI in 2007. He was diagnosed in 2009 but continued to play at the highest level until 2012, proving that if you follow a strict gluten free diet, you can stay at the top of your game.
Coeliac disease does not care if you’re a prince or a pauper. Katherine, Duchess of Kent, first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 1978, at the age of 45. By following a strict gluten free diet, she has successfully managed her condition for over half of her life, becoming the oldest member of the royal family in 2022 with the passing of the queen.
Being diagnosed with coeliac disease can feel pretty devastating, and it will mean you have to make changes to your diet for the rest of your life. However, as the above list demonstrates, there’s absolutely no reason that it should hold you back in any way.
Whether you dream of being a movie star or a sports star, or just want to be the best you that you can be, your coeliac disease shouldn’t stop you. With the right support from your GP and dietitian, and if you follow a strict gluten free diet, you can control your coeliac disease, rather than letting it control you.
If you or someone you love has been recently diagnosed with coeliac disease, you could be eligible to receive gluten free foods on prescription. Simply select your country of residence, and, if you live in England, fill in your postcode to check if your area is prescribing.
Your country is prescribing gluten free foods*. Request your Glutafin Taster Box by clicking the button below to sign up.
* Please note: local policies are constantly updated, and issuing a prescription is at the discretion of your GP.
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