TV host Ellen DeGeneres says 'I don't even know how I'm standing up' as she announces three health conditions

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TV host Ellen DeGeneres has announced she’s been diagnosed with three health conditions; Osteoporosis, OCD, and ADHD.

The comedian and actress, aged 66, shared the news about her health in her new Netflix comedy special, For Your Approval.

Making the admission, she joked: “I don’t even know how I’m standing up right now. I’m like a human sandcastle. I could disintegrate in the shower.”

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In addition to osteoporosis, Ellen also opened up on learning she had arthritis. “I had excruciating pain one day and I thought I tore a ligament or something and I got an MRI and they said ‘no, it's just arthritis’. I said ‘how did I get that?’ And he said ‘oh it just happens at your age.'” She added: “It’s hard to be honest about aging and seem cool."

In the TV special, the star also reveals that she found it "devastating" to be branded "mean". The comedian's long-running daytime talk show, known as Ellen, which came to an end in 2022, was on the receiving end of allegations of a toxic workplace in 2020. DeGeneres candidly opened up and said she used to "care what people think" of her as a way to calculate her success, but she's now given up worrying about the opinions of others after allowing the negative labels to "consume" her.

She went on: “When you’re a public figure, you’re open to everyone’s interpretation. And I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that ‘what other people think of me is none of my business.’ Because people will say all kinds of things and you have no control over that. But you know the truth and that’s all that matters.

Ellen DeGeneres has opened up about having three health conditions. Photo by Getty Images for Live Nation.Ellen DeGeneres has opened up about having three health conditions. Photo by Getty Images for Live Nation.
Ellen DeGeneres has opened up about having three health conditions. Photo by Getty Images for Live Nation. | Getty Images for Live Nation

“I’ve spent an entire lifetime trying to make people happy and I’ve cared far too much what other people think of me. If they like you, you’re in, and if they don’t, you’re out. And I’ve spent an entire lifetime trying to make people happy and I’ve cared far too much what other people think of me. So, the thought of anyone thinking that I’m mean was devastating to me, and it consumed me for a long time. After a lifetime of caring, I just can’t anymore. So I don’t.”

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After the show aired, DeGeneres thanked her fans for watching her special, in a post on Instagram. She wrote: "Thank you to everyone who has watched my special and shared how much you enjoyed it. It means a lot to me. I have been in this business for over 4 decades.

“I have done so many things I could have only dreamed of doing when I started, and all of it is thanks to you. Whether you called in to vote for me for Showtime’s Funniest Person in America back in 1982, or you clicked the “I loved it!” button after watching my @Netflix special this week, I appreciate the love, and I send it right back you."

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