‘Star Wars’ Actress Daisy Ridley Diagnosed With Graves’ Disease

The actress, known for her role as Rey in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise, reveals her Graves’ disease diagnosis.

Daisy Ridley is sharing her journey after being diagnosed with Graves’ disease last year. In the September/October issue of Women’s Health, the 32-year-old Star Wars actress revealed her surprise upon learning she had the immune system condition, having already been diagnosed with endometriosis and polycystic ovaries in the past.

Ridley experienced symptoms including a racing heart rate, weight loss, fatigue, and hand tremors. Initially, she attributed these signs to the stress of working on Magpie, a psychological thriller. However, after her doctor described Graves’ disease as a condition that makes one feel “tired but wired,” she began to reconsider her symptoms more seriously.

“It was funny; I was like, ‘Oh, I just thought I was annoyed at the world,'” Ridley told the outlet, “but it turns out everything is functioning so quickly, you can’t chill out.”

To manage her condition, Ridley takes daily medication and has also cut down on gluten in her already vegan diet, though she doesn’t follow it strictly. She shared that generally reducing gluten intake makes her feel better.

In addition to these dietary changes, she has adjusted her workout routine and lifestyle to focus more on overall well-being rather than just health. Her new regimen includes infrared saunas, cryotherapy, massages, acupuncture, and using crystals.

“I do a fair amount of holistic stuff, but I also understand that it is a privilege to be able to do those things,” Ridley remarked, noting that after adopting her new routine, she felt a significant improvement. “I didn’t realize how bad I felt before,” she admitted. “Then I looked back and thought, ‘How did I do that?'”

Ridley now advocates for women to speak up for their own health at the doctor. “We all read the stats about women being undiagnosed or underdiagnosed and sort of coming to terms with saying, ‘I really, actually don’t feel good’ instead of going, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine,'” she said. She emphasized that it’s become normalized for women to not feel their best.

While recognizing that her experience with Graves’ disease is “much less severe than what a lot of people go through,” Ridley encouraged others not to simply endure health issues. “Even if you can deal with it, you shouldn’t have to. If there’s a problem, you shouldn’t have to just [suffer through it],” she said.