Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall is helped by mum with 'frog croak' syndrome who has same health condition

A mum who spent years croaking like a frog because she can't burp is 'honoured' to be able to help the Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall who has the same condition. Gemma Renwick managed to use Botox to treat her 'no burp syndrome', Retrograde Cricopharyngeal Dysfunction (RCPD), in 2024 after years of extreme bloating and loud croaking noises coming from her throat. Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall, 33, commented on Gemma's TikTok video on Wednesday (September 16) revealing that she also struggles with the rare condition. The pop star told the mum she has made her feel 'so seen and understood'. Gemma admitted she can 'totally relate' to the singer who commented that 'it's caused issues her whole life and she's sick of people commenting on her weight and body onstage when she's just bloated'. Jade went on to say she too had considered Botox to solve it but was worried about how it might affect her vocal chords and therefore her singing. The weightloss and lifestyle business owner says she's been forced to try and 'laugh it off' whenever she makes the unusual 'croaky sounds' while chatting with clients or on the phone. Footage shows 43-year-old Gemma opening her mouth and emitting 'croaking' sounds as she struggles to release trapped wind. But now the mum-of-two is delighted that if by sharing her own journey she has been able to help Little Mix's Jade come to terms with her own condition. Gemma, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, said: "I knew this was the kind of progress needed to get this out there. "I'm so grateful to Jade and it would be an absolute honour if me talking could actually help her too. "I can totally relate to Jade. I know exactly how it feels to feel weird and alone and embarrassed by this and also hopeless because no one seems to understand and finds it funny." The mum-of-two says she's been forced to leave events early to go home and lie flat to relieve her pain, leaving her 'anxious' whenever she leaves the house. Despite allegedly visiting her GP on and off since the age of 21 complaining of tummy issues she says she was prescribed IBS tablets or told to change her diet because it could be allergies. After seeking private advice, Gemma decided to try a £925 Botox treatment on May 28, which sees the muscle relaxant injected into the muscle to help her burp. The mum says she now feels like a 'new woman' as she is able to burp freely and is 'absolutely honoured' to be able to help Jade who is scared the procedure will affect her singing. Gemma said: "People say it sounds like a frog croaking or it sounds like a lion. I was embarrassed by the croaking sounds. "You get the gurgling and croaking sounds in your throat, which is basically the burp trying to come out but it can't. "It happened at school a few times, which was obviously really embarrassing in front of people. "I was known as the girl that makes the funny noises and I always had a bloated tummy so it was a running joke that I always had a pot belly. "I wasn't as worried as an adult but when you're in professional situations or a client at work or if you're talking to someone on the phone it is embarrassing. "You just laugh it off because that's the sad reality, it's funny to people. "Everyone knows what trapped wind is like but it's like that but times a million, it's so painful. It's not just in your tummy but in your chest too. "You get breathless and feel like you can't swallow or breathe. You cannot physically eat or drink anything else because the air is there and trapped." You can read and sign Gemma's petition asking the government to review NHS treatment for RCPD here. After years of claiming to visit the GP and finding no solutions, it wasn't until her self-diagnosis in 2024 that led her to research more about Botox treatment. Now Gemma consumes lots of fizzy drinks to encourage burping and does neck exercises in the hope it will be a permanent fix. Gemma said: "This Botox is utterly life-changing, I can't believe I waited so long to do it. "If I knew what it was and if people knew that RCPD was a thing, and that that was the treatment, everybody could have it. "None of the doctors have ever understood it. They basically just tell you they've never heard of it before and it makes you feel really weird because you feel like you're the only person in the world with it. "It was a massive relief to finally feel like it's not just me. You feel very seen and heard and just a massive relief of 'oh my God, I might be able to get help for it'. "I'd say by day four or five [after the treatment] they were coming out better and I was getting bigger burps and now I'm doing loads of burps now. "It feels amazing and I haven't had any bloating for five weeks and I haven't had any wind down below or tummy issues. "I just think that it should be available on the NHS. We shouldn't have to pay nearly £1,000 to get that done. "I feel like everybody needs to know about it, especially GPs. It's not their fault they didn't know what it was.

"But ultimately we need awareness just so the government takes it seriously so it's included in training for new GPs."