Do you know of any coeliac (gluten free) celebrities?

[clerkKent]

The Coeliac Society is having a consciousness raising week soon and are looking for a celebrity to front it. Does anybody know of anyone we could approach?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

btw I am a just a member, not an official.

Carol Vorderman

Terence Stamp?

(don't know of any off the top of my head but will have a think)

btw, did you have your biopsy? was wondering how it all went

here you are my dear

apparently, the Duchess of Kent is a sufferer (well according to that reliable tome, the mirror - actually I seem to remember something about her having it a while back)

Foxinsocks, thanks for that. Yes I did; it was as uncomfortable as the first time. The results show my villi are recovering well, so there is absolutely no doubt about the diagnosis. Luckily for me, I don't have any symptoms, so I can't tell if I stray from the g-f path, but my body can.

We are going to Chateau Villars in the summer, so at least I will get one week when I can forget about it.

ooh very nice

glad things are improving (even if you haven't noticed the difference!)

in a way, I suppose that is more worrying - the thought that your health probably would have really deteriorated before you even knew what was going on. It must have made it harder to stick to a gluten free diet at first, if you didn't feel a difference.

I have had to be really strict with myself, and at first it was an interesting challenge. Now it is more of a bore.

Most coeliacs have it far worse - they have severe gut / weight loss problems, soemtimes for years, before someone thinks of coeliac disease - hence the need for the consciousness raising week! My own GP knew very little about the condition; he suggested I did not need to bother with the biopsy since the blood test result was marginal and I had no symptoms; it was only because I have private health insurance through work that I could get a biopsy quickly.

Carrie Grant - David Grants wife has it bad. She is not just jumping on the band wagon, she has strong medication I am pretty sure. Maybe hard though as she is/was V pg last time I saw her on tv.

CK, if you don't mind me asking, how did you find out you had coeliacs if yo don't have any symptoms?

Heartmum2Jamie

DW heard a radio programme about it where they said that a sibling of a coeliac has a 10% chance of also being coeliac. My brother has it, and I had been feeling run-down, with a low energy level, suffering from allergies such as hay-fever and chlorine, plus lichen planus in the mouth. Together those things don't amount to very much, but most are associated with auto-immune problems. So I asked for a test.

I have been gluten-free for about a year. I had no hay fever last year, I feel able to do a lot more, and I have more energy.

Carrie Grant has Crohn's Disease, not coeliac.

Wow CK, it's amazing to think that you may have been none the wiser if not for the programme. I am glad that you got tested and are feeling better.

I was diagnosed a year ago with coeliac disease and have been following a really strict gluten free diet ever since. I was disappointed to discover after a second biopsy recently that my villi are only showing signs of slight improvement. Anyone else experienced this? Also I am concerned for my 2 children aged 3 and 6 months but my consultant says she wouldn't test them unless they showed signs of failure to thrive. I am about to give my baby bread and cereal but not sure if to hold off on the gluten. Any advice appreciated!

i would hold off with the gluten till your child passes the 12 months mark, just to be on the safe side. My ds can't have gluten, but we've been told we can think about introducing it when he is two.

Mil - at your consultant. I thought that early diagnosis was considered very important these days? A friend in the same position has decided to hold off on the gluten altogether until her DS is old enough to decide for himself whether the risk is worth it. In any event I would definitely hold off on any gluten until your baby is at least 12 months or preferably older.

Terence Stamp has coeliac disease, I think. And one of Jodie Kidd's sisters does, too.

Mil, my consultant also advised against testing my children. My brother still has to have vitamin injections 5 years after diagnosis (not sure which vitamin). I understand the speed of villi recovery may be related to how long you have coeliac disease before diagnosis, and the amount of damage done before going gluten free.

I'm sure I've read that Phillipa Forrester has coaliac disease. And yes Carrie Grant has Crohn's disease not coeliac disease.